Arteta speaks!
Match report: Villarreal 2-1 Arsenal
Sid Lowe was at El Madrigal to see Arsenal emerge with something approaching dignity in first leg defeat after digging themselves out of a very big hole. Read on ...
Mikela Arteta speaks: “We didn’t want to come here and lose but after the way the game developed, being 2-0 down with 10 men, you have to take the result,” he tells BT Sport. “It’s probably the best result we could have but two different halves.”
On Arsenal’s second half transformation: “We started to be us and in the first half there were so many moments when we weren’t us,” he says. “We weren’t clear with our high press, we disorganised ourselves and started to chase. We weren’t precise with the ball. We didn’t have contorl. We found good combinations but we didn’t have enough threat. We didn’t have enough desire to attack the opponents’ box. In the second half it was completely different.”
Meanwhile at Old Trafford: Manchester United have battered Roma by a tennis score in the first leg of their semi-final. Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani bagged a brace apiece as United swatted their visitors aside, winning 6-2. Jamie Jackson was there to see it.
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Bukayo Saka: “There’s a lot of positivbes from the second half but to start a Europa League semi-final like this, it’s impossible to have a chance of scoring,” he tells BT Sport. “We didn’t create anything, we lost every duel, we was passive ... it’s really frustrating to look back on it.
“I’m just happy that in the second half we picked ourselves up, we got a good chance and we managed to score. We’ve given ourselves a chance at the Emirates. In the second half, we definitely showed that we are better than them and even with 10 men we were dominating them. When we play properly we can beat anyone.”
Arsenal’s penalty: It was very, very soft and Arsenal were lucky to get it. Looking at it again, Saka prodded the ball ahead of him, wafted his leg in the direction of a nearby defender, hooked his ankle around that of his opponent and went to ground.
Martin Keown: Working on BT Sport as a pundit, the former Arsenal defender makes an interesting point. “It looked like the previous Arsenal manager was embarrassing the current manager. That would have been hugely embarrassing for the owners, if not the board. But we’re still in the tie, we live to fight another day. It can’t be as bad at the Emirates as it was tonight.” He also says that Dani Ceballos looked “out of his depth” tonight, leaving “a massive hole” in Arsenal’s midfield.
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Match recap: Manu Trigueros gave Villarreal an early lead, firing home from inside the penalty area after being teed up by Samuel Chuckwiese. Arsenal went a further goal behind after falling asleep at a corner and allowed Raul Albiol to stab home.
Having been awarded a penalty only to have it overturned by VAR, the jig looked well and truly up for Mikel Arteta’s men when Dani Ceballos was sent off but they were thrown a lifeline in the form of a penalty won by Bukayo Saka. Nicolas Pepe made no mistake and Arsenal’s hopes received a further boost when Etienne Capoue was sent off after receiving his second yellow card. Almost literally adding insult to injury, it was shown to him as he was carried off on a stretcher.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could have equalised at the death for Arsenal after coming off the bench but was denied by Geronimo Rulli in the Villarreal goal. They’ll settle for losing by the odd goal of three, all things considered. They rode their luck a little but ultimately did well to get themselves out of jail.
Full-time: Villarreal 2-1 Arsenal
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep! It’s all over at El Madrigal where Villarreal have a slight advantage in this Europa League semi-final following an entertaining and chaotic night of football. There’s plenty to unpick, so stay tuned for a recap and post-match reaction.
90+4 min: Arsenal double-substitution: Willian and Elneny on for Pepe and Smith-Rowe.
90+3 min: Auybameyang brings a smart save out of Rulli at his near post with a rasping diagonal drive.
90+2 min: The ball hits Xhaka’s arm in the Arsenal penalty area as he was using it to lever himself back into an upright position after falling. Villarreal appeal for a penalty but none is forthcoming. It would have been harsh but I have no idea whether or not it would have been fair. The handball law is a mess in its current state.
90+1 min: Villarreal waste a free-kick wide on the right. Offside. Whoever wins this tie will almost certainly face Manchester United in the final - they lead Roma 6-2 at Old Trafford.
89 min: The very impressive Chuckwuese tries to jink down the right wing after a misplaced pass from Xhaka, but meets firm resistance. Aubameyang is booked for an accidental but late challenge on Albiol. He lost his footing and slipped into the defender, bringing him down.
88 min: Villarreal try to bag themselves a third before stumps in this first leg. They press and probe on the edge of the final third but can’t find a way through.
86 min: Martinelli moves left and Aubameyang takes up the central position up front.
85 min: Arsenal substitution: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on for Bukayo Saka, who has played well for Arsenal tonight.
84 min: Good tackle from Xhaka, who dispossessed Chuckwuese as he attempted to advance inside the Arsenal penalty area. A mistimed challenge there would have led to another penalty.
82 min: Villarreal substitution: Moi Gomes on for Manu Trigueros.
79 min: Capoue is stretchered off ... but is shown a second yellow card followed by a red before he goes. I must confess, I missed his first booking.
76 min: Etienne Capoue, lunges in on Saka. He’s hurt himself and is lying on the ground in great distress. The referee is standing over him with his yellow card in his hand, waiting to brandish it. It will be Capoue’s second and it will be followed by a red.
74 min: I’m not convinced Arsenal deserved that penalty, but they’ll take it anyway. Saka went down very, very easily and any contact was minimal.
GOAL! Villarreal 2-1 Arsenal (Pepe 73pen)
Arsenal pull a goal back! Nicolas Pepe shoots low down the middle as Geronimo Rulli dives to his right. That’s his sixth goal in the competition this season.
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Penalty for Arsenal!
71 min: Bukayo Saka runs into traffic in the Villarreal penalty area and is tripped by Manu Trigueros.
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70 min: Juan Foyth pulls up holding the back of of one leg and shaking his head. That’s his hammy gone. He’s replaced by Mario Gasper.
69 min: Bernd Leno saves a soft Moreno effort that was straight at him.
67 min: Mikel Arteta looked incredibly frustrated when Ceballos was sent off but has to take some responsibility. The midfgielder was already on a yellow and still making rash challenges. If not at half-time, he should have been susbtituted as soon as he lunged in on an opponent in the very early stages of the second half.
66 min: Moreno has his head in his hands after being played in behind only to see a shot from seven yards saved by Bernd Leno.
64 min: Arsenal’s players crowd Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli at a corner and he flaps at the ensuing inswinger. His defenders get him out of jail, hoofing the breaking ball clear.
63 min: Arsenal substitution: Martin Odegaard off, Gabriel Martinelli on.
61 min: Parejo, it was, who was fouled by Ceballos. In other news, Bernd Leno gets down to bat away a long range effort from Chuckwuaze.
58 min: Having dodged a second yellow with a rash challenge just after half-time, Ceballos trudges off after leaving one in on the outstretched instep of – I think – Moreno as the Villarreal midfielder stretched to try and control a loose ball after a poor touch by the Arsenal man. It was possibly accidental, but he can have no complaints. Having said that, he still complains at great length ... to no avail.
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Arsenal are down to 10 men!
Off! Dani Ceballos receives his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card. That was coming ...
56 min: Villarreal break upfield with Samuel Chuckwuese on the ball. Granit Xhaka gets back to put a stop to his gallop.
55 min: Emile Smith-Rowe tries to get in behind down the left but is out-muscled by Alfonso Pedraza.
54 min: An interesting observation from a frustrated Arsenal fan ...
A good strikerless / false 9 system = lots of players rotating the striker position. A bad strikerless / false 9 formation = there’s never anyone upfront.
— Tim Stillman (@Stillberto) April 29, 2021
51 min: Saka beats his man down the right touchline before running into traffic at the edge of the penalty area. The ball finds its way to Odegaard who tries to thread a ball in behind the Villarreal defence, only to meet a wall of yellow resistance.
50 min: Pepe is unable to reach a looping cross from the right that was dropping at the far post. Villarreal clear.
48 min: Arsenal corner. Odegaard’s outswinger is poor and headed clear.
Second half: Villarreal 2-0 Arsenal
46 min: Play resumes with no changes in the Arsenal line-up. One of their former players, Francis Coquelin, has replaced Paco Alcacer in the Villarreal line-up.
Half-time: Villarreal 2-0 Arsenal
Peep! The first half ends with Arsenal trailing by two goals. Manu Trigueros fired the hosts ahead after five minutes and the hosts doubled their lead through a corner, Raul Albiol stealing in unmarked at the far post. Arsenbal were thrown a lifeline in the form of a penalty, only for it be whipped from their grasp due to a Nicolas Pepe handball in the build-up. It may not have been intentional, but it was obvious and illegal. Arsenal have it all to do in this semi-final.
45 min: The camera cuts to a rather underwhelmed Mikel Arteta on the touchline. He has no reason to be even remotely “whelmed” – his players have let him down again in this first half.
44 min: Dani Ceballos is booked for cynically tripping Juan Foyth and sending the Argentinian tumbling en route the edge of the Arsenal penalty area after being beaten for pace.
42 min: A let-off for Arsenal, whose blushes are saved by Bernd Leno. He did well to stay on his feet and prevent Moreno from taking the ball around him and slotting home after being put in behind by a wonderfully weighted pass by Foyth.
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41 min: Another free-kick wide on the right for Arsenal. Odegaard curls the ball towards the far post, where Rob Holding rises to send a downwards header wide of the upright.
37 min: Arsenal free-kick, wide on the right. Maertin Odegaard curls the ball towards the far post, our referee spots an infringement on Albiol and awards a free-kick to Villarreal. It’s taken quickly, with Geronimo Rulli, whose goalkeeping kit looks like a Burnley or Aston Villa strip, booting the ball upfield. Bernd Leno has to be alert to sprint out of his penalty area and get to it before anyone in a yellow shirt.
No penalty for Arsenal!
Following a consultation with his Video Assistant Referee Joao Pinheiro, referee Artur Dias awards a free-kick to Villarreal for handball and rescinds the yellow card he had shown Juan Foyth for giving away the non-penalty.
Penalty for Arsenal!
Juan Foyth sticks out a leg and brings down Nicolas Pepe prompting referee Artur Dias points to the spot. There’s a VAR check for a Pepe handball in the build-up. The ball clearly struck his arm as he tried to win it.
34 min: Moreno fires narrowly wide from distance.
30 min: Awful, awful defending from Arsenal. Dani Parejo’s delivery from the corner was terrific, picking out Gerard Moreno, who rose unopposed to steer a header towards the far post. There, Raul Albiol was on hand to stab the ball home on the volley from about two yards out.
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GOAL! VIllarreal 2-0 Arsenal (Albiol 29)
Oh dear! Villarreal double their lead from a corner.
27 min: Thomas Partey blasts hopelessly over the bar from distance after being teed up by Odegaard on the back of good work down the right by Saka. He’s still looking for his first Arsenal goal and if that shot is anything to go by, it’s not difficult to see why.
26 min: Rob Holding is penalised for a rather robust challenge on Paco Alcacer, catching the Villarreal man with a forearm to the back of the head as he challenged him for a high ball.
24 min: Xhaka plays the ball wide and left to Pepe and it quickly finds its way across to Saka on the right side of the Villarreal penalty. He cuts inside on to his left foot and tries to curl a shot into the far corner. His effort is well wide. That’s better from Arsenal.
22 min: Corner for Villarreal. Rob Holding thumps Dani Parejo’s inswinger clear with a booming header.
21 min: Fifteen minutes after going behind, Arsenal are huffing and puffing gamely enough, albeit to no great effect. Dani Ceballos is looking very lively in midfield but neither he nor his teammates have created anything of note so far.
19 min: Nicolas Pepe is unable to win the race to keep a through ball down the left from deep in play before it goes out for a goal kick.
17 min: Martin Odegaard plays the ball wide and right to Saka, whose cross to the far post is headed clear.
15 min: Foyth intervenes again to clean up after a good ball in behind the Villarreal defence from Ceballos.
13 min: Dani Ceballos advances down the left for Arsenal before passing inside to Thomas Partey. A half-decent if slightly ponderous attack from comes to nothing when Juan Foyth intervenes with a well-timed tackle.
11 min: Granit Xhaka is having a torrid time of it in his makeshift left-back position. Having let Chuckwuese get the better of him in the build-up to the goal, now he gives the ball away sloppily while trying to ping it towards midfield.
7 min: It’s an early gut-punch for the Gunners, who were undone down the right. It was Samuel Chuckwueze who did the damage, cutting into the penalty area, where Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos couldn’t risk bringing him down or sticking a foot in. They probably should have - Chuckwueze picked out the unmarked Trigueros, who spanked the ball home with a ferocious shot.
GOAL! Villarreal 1-0 Arsenal (Trigueros 4)
Arsenal are behind! Manu Trigueros blasts the ball into the far corner from about 10 yards after being teed up by Samuel Chuckwueze.
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2 min: Arsenal appear to have Emile Smith-Rowe playing as a false nine, while Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka are occupying the wings. No chances to report so far for either side.
1 min: Villarreal line up wearing yellow shirts, yellow shorts and tellow socks, while the players of Arsenal are visions in navy blue with pink trim.
Villarreal v Arsenal is go ...
1 min: El Madrigal is well populated with Villarreal fans, albeit silent and in cardboard cut-out form as they watch their side get the ball rolling.
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Not long now: The teams are in the tunnel, going through their final preparations before going out to do battle. In scenes that would seriously grind the gears of Roy Keane, rival players Dani Ceballos and Raul Albiol enjoy a very friendly chat before referee Artur Dias leads both sides out.
Elsewhere in the Europa League: The winners of this semi-final will play Manchester United or Roma in the final. Rob Smyth is monitoring proceedings in the first leg of their last-four encounter at Old Trafford.
More correspondence: “Unai Emery’s pre-match comments on Arsenal were very pleasant, although the final bit about them having ‘a solid defence’ makes me wonder if he was actually taking the piss,” writes Robin Burchfield.
This, from Tom Atkins: “Will it be Pepe up front, or Saka?” he asks. “Given Arsenal have relied on him to play left back, right wing, in the hole, make the tea and do the accounts in the last 12 months, it wouldn’t surprise me if they did.”
An email: “Saka and Smith-Rowe won’t be wing-backs; Xhaka and Chambers will be orthodox left and right backs,” writes John Cox. “That’s how Arsenal have been playing for the last few matches, since Tierney was injured.” That’s me told! I’ve given up watching Arsenal in recent weeks because ... well, why would you if you didn’t have to or weren’t obliged to out of some sense of loyalty?
My ex girlfriends brother Dani Parejo is playing against Arsenal in the Europa League semi finals.
— Secret Drug Addict (@ScrtDrugAddict) April 29, 2021
You honestly have no idea how much I hope we smash Villarreal tonight
#UEL
Easy to understate how big a tie this is for Villarreal. Since 2002, they've played 181 European games (almost 10 per season!). This is their 5th European semi-final. Never have they reached a final. They've never won a major trophy, nor been in a major final.
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) April 29, 2021
Nicolas Pepe: Signed as a winger, it looks very much like Arsenal’s young Ivorian will be leading the line for his side tonight, with Martin Odegaard playing behind him. Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka will play as wing-backs.
That Arsenal side: Martin Odegaard comes back into Arsenal’s starting line-up, in place of Eddie Nketiah, who has dropped to the bench. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also on the bench after recovering from malaria, while David Luiz is also among the substitutes. There’s no place in the matchday squad for Alexandre Lacazette or Kieran Tierney, for whom this match came too soon.
Villarreal v Arsenal line-ups ...
Villarreal: Rulli, Foyth, Albiol, Pau, Pedraza, Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros, Chukwueze, Alcacer, G Moreno.
Subs: Asenjo, Gaspar, Mori, Bacca, Estupinan, A Moreno, Coquelin, Costa, Gomez, Yeremy, Alex, Nino.
Arsenal: Leno, Chambers, Holding, Mari, Xhaka, Partey, Ceballos, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Pepe.
Subs: Ryan, Okonkwo, Bellerin, Gabriel, Luiz, Cedric, Elneny, Nelson, Nketiah, Willian, Aubameyang, Martinelli.
Tonight’s match officials
Tonight’s delegation of disciplinarians hails from Portugal.
- Referee: Artur Dias
- Assistant referees: Rui Tavares and Paulo Soares
- Fourth official: Tiago Martins
- Video Assistant Referee: João Pinheiro
Mikel Arteta speaks
“[I’m] extremely excited to travel to the game and play the tie,” said the Arsenal boss. “We have a tough opponent in front of us but we really want to be there. [Villarreal’s] progress over the last ten to 15 years has been spectacular, with different coaches but clear principles. Unai has given them a very clear identity in this competition. What I have seen the most is the clarity in their ideas: what they do.”
Unai Emery speaks
“My time at Arsenal is behind me,” said the Villarreal manager at his press conference. “I have to be grateful to Arsenal. I remember the good stuff. [Mikel] Arteta and Arsenal are a perfect marriage. He’s a great manager. You can see a clear identity, a clear strategy. They have top quality players: [Dani] Ceballos, [Martin] Odegaard, [Bukayo] Saka, quick players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a solid defence. It’s going to be a demanding match. They have many different gameplans and we need to be ready. “
Early team news
Villarreal midfielder Vicente Iborra is sidelined with a knee injury but Unai Emery has an otherwise full squad to choose from. Tottenham defender Juan Foyth is on loan at the Yellow Submarine and will be hoping to cheer supporters of his parent club up by torpedoing the hopes of their north London rivals. FOrmer Arsenal old boy Francois Coquelin is likely to be on the Villarreal bench.
Having spent time out injured, Alexandre Lacazette, PIerre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Luiz and Kieran Tierney are all available for selection in the Arsenal side.
Europa League semi-final first leg: Villarreal v Arsenal
Unbeaten in 12 games (11 wins and one draw) in this season’s Europa League, Villarreal host Arsenal in the first leg of a semi-final that pits Mikel Arteta against Unai Emery his predecessor at the Emirates Stadium. Neither manager has set the world on fire domestically this season: Villarreal currently sit seventh in La Liga and have lost their past two games, while Arsenal are 10th in the Premier League and lost to Everton in their last outing, having scraped a draw against Fulham the previous week.
Winning the Europa League would go a long way towards appeasing disgruntled fans of both teams but only one side can progress to the final. Emery has pedigree in this particular competition, having led Sevilla to victory on three consecutive occasions between 2014 and 2016. Kick-off at El Madrigal is at 8pm BST but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
