Arsenal got back to winning ways after back-to-back losses as they beat Newcastle United 2-0 at Saint James Park.
The win helps put their minds in a more confident state ahead of their crunch Europa League semi-final second leg later this week.
It was a game that most of their players took seriously. Here is the player ratings:
Arsenal player ratings
Mat Ryan – 6
Impressive showing from the Australian and he looks well on his way to do another Emi Martinez on Bernd Leno.
Hector Bellerin -7
This was one of the best ways to respond to being dropped for Calum Chambers in recent weeks and he has done his chances of starting against Villarreal a world of good.
David Luiz – 7
You never quite know which Luiz will turn up for a game, but the best showed up in this one. He was an impressive leader at the back and helped to build attacks through the wings very well. Hopefully, he is not seriously injured.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6
Solid but not spectacular and kept his performance up when Luiz was injured.
Granit Xhaka – 6
Still being played out of position and still doesn’t look comfortable, but he will be happy to contribute to the clean sheet.
Mohamed Elneny – 7
Made a fine start to the game and scored a deserved goal, but faded somewhat after the break.
Dani Ceballos – 6
Nothing spectacular about his performance and he would have to play better on Thursday if he is selected to start.
Willian – 6
Delivered some fine balls into the box, but it was yet another less than expected performance from him.
Martin Odegaard – 6
Looks like he needs more time to get some rhythm after his injury. Just did his job on a normal level.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8
Another rare start and another fine performance. He was a menace to Josh Murphy all day and created a goal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 7
You could tell he is not fully match-fit yet, but he gave a solid performance and topped it with a goal.
Substitutes
Calum Chambers – 6
Brought on for David Luiz and played as a centre-back, he delivered a solid performance.
Nicolas Pepe – 6
We already won the game when he came on.
Thomas Partey – n/a
Arsenal player ratings from Ime