Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

What Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney and Arsenal duo did immediately after 4-1 win over Molde

Arsenal maintained their 100 percent start in this season's Europa League group stage with a 4-1 win over Molde on Thursday night

But it's what happened after the game which may be of interest to supporters.

With a clash against Aston Villa on the horizon, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opted to rest the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Hector Bellerin.

Mikel Arteta : I like players with zero ego

Having fallen behind to Martin Ellingsen's long-range effort after 22 minutes, the Gunners' job was made a lot more easier with an equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

That proved to be the boost Arteta's side needed as three more goals followed in the second half.

Another own goal put the hosts ahead for the first time on the night, while Nicolas Pepe and Joe Willock completed the scoring to ensure the north London are now the outright leaders in Group B.

Bukayo Saka - who claimed an assist and went close to scoring on several occasions - was brought on in the second half as well as Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares, and Mohamed Elneny.

Although, whilst the rest of the Arsenal team either went to do some media duties or headed straight down the tunnel at the full-time whistle, the aforementioned quartet had a warm down session on the pitch.

As spotted by the Evening Standard who were also in attendance at the Emirates Stadium, Saka, Tierney, Elneny, and Cedric were doing a passing drill to warm down.

Whilst it's likely that Saka, Tierney, and Elneny could all start against Villa on Sunday night, Cedric may miss out on making a Premier League matchday squad once again.

Another player pushing for inclusion at the weekend is Willock after yet another impressive outing in the Europa League and he's been told what to do in order to get more game time.

"I really like their approach they’re (youngsters) having, to make the difference, not just to play and be there," Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

"They want to make a difference for the team. They’re playing with a lot of personality.

"Keep doing what he’s (Willock) doing consistently and his chance will arrive."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.