Can Arsenal play every game like It’s the Europa League!
Another Thursday night and yet another comfortable win for Arsenal. Well we expected nothing less really!
A strong start from our boys would only really end in one result, as it has done so far in the Europa league, unless we are in the Premier League that is.
But the boys started as they meant to go on and a bullet of a goal from Alex Lacazette who scored for the first time in eight games put us 1-0 up, and it will surely give him the confidence he needs to go on and score more goals, and help the team and even Aubameyang to move forward and find that form that has eluded us for so long. We hope!
Our intensity was there from the off, and if reports of a “clear the air meeting” are to be believed then surely that is the reason why the boys came out looking ready and fired up!
Following Laca’s bullet, Pablo Mari also got on the scoresheet to put us 2-0 up with his first goal in an Arsenal shirt upon his return from a six month injury lay off. To rub even more salt into Rapid wounds, Eddie Nketiah then made it 3-0 before the end of the first half and really the points were in the bag with another half still to play.
A quick start by Rapid in the second half though saw them pull a goal back making it 3-1 and would have surely put some doubts in some fans, and maybe even Artetas, mind but of course it was gong to be our night, we saved ourselves from falling to a rather embarrassing comeback for Rapid and the game was wrapped up nicely when substitute Emile Smith Rowe fired into the net to make it 4-1 giving us maximum points again in the Europa League to maintain that top spot, that never looked a threat!
So a positive performance all round on a night that welcomed back 2000 socially distanced fans and what matters now is that they take that performance into the derby on Sunday to finally break the mould of losing in the Premier League on a Sunday this season to give us Gooners a little bit more of a reason to smile this weekend!
It’s the least we deserve as losing to Spurs is not in our DNA right Gooners? And as the Spuds are also a Europa League team, then we should approach this game like Thursday’s…
Shenel Osman