Villarreal 2-1 Arsenal
It’s advantage Villarreal – or is it – after this first leg Europa League semifinal tie.
The Spanish team will certainly take a 2-1 lead to North London next week.
However, the Yellow Submarine will know that this slender advantage could and should have been a lot more.
Two goals up against 10 men with more than half an hour of the match remaining, coach Unai Emery must have been delighted.
To then fail to press home that numerical supremacy and concede a penalty which allowed Arsenal a vital away goal, instead means the outcome remains in the balance.
Highlights of the game
Arsenal have been more in the news in the past 10 days for off the field matters rather than on the pitch activity, but the only talk in the opening half would have been how their defence was sliced apart seemingly at will.
Emery had admitted pre-match that he had to put feelings aside for his former club but there would naturally have been part of him seeking revenge for the way his services were dispensed with nearly 18 months ago.
On that basis, he must have been thrilled as his current employers created Europa League 2021 highlights aplenty.
Indeed, home fans had gathered aplenty outside the ground with yellow smoke rising and motorbikes revving.
This was Villarreal’s fifth European semifinal. The previous four times they had fallen and none hurt more than against Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League.
They set about putting that right straight away, netting twice in the opening half hour.
Only four minutes had elapsed when Manu Trigueros blasted the ball into the far corner of the net after being teed up by Samuel Chukwueze.
El Madrigal made it two when the unmarked Gerard Moreno steered a Dani Parejo corner towards the far post where Raul Albiol was waiting to stab the ball home from close range.
Two-nil, too easy, even taking into account the mitigating circumstances that the Gunners are injury-hit right now.
Bernd Leno spared their blushes further just before the break, saving from Moreno at a time when a third goal would likely have made the SBOTOP Europa League 2021 betting odds on an Arsenal comeback beyond realism.
The hosts’ twin goal threat of Moreno and Paco Alcácer was halved at the break with the latter replaced by former Gunner Francis Coquelin.
It hardly seemed to matter when Dani Ceballos received a second yellow card just before the hour mark and Arsenal had a mountain to climb.
Mikel Arteta’s men aren’t the competition’s top scorers this season without posing a danger though and grabbed what could be a vital lifeline 20 minutes from time.
Talented youngster Bukayo Saka was tripped by Trigueros and Nicolas Pepe converted the resulting penalty straight down the middle of the goal.
Etienne Capoue became the second player to be suspended for next week’s second leg when he lunged in on Saka while injuring himself in the tackle, and he received a second booking as the contest finished 10 against 10.
So after failing to press home their advantage, perhaps the pendulum has now swung towards Arsenal?
On the flip side, Emery is the manor born in this competition. He led Sevilla to three titles and the Gunners to the final two years ago where they were hammered by Chelsea.
An intriguing second leg awaits.
Key statistics
This was the first time in five meetings that Villarreal have defeated Arsenal.
Villarreal have progressed from 15 of their 16 two-legged ties in major European competition when winning the first leg.
The only exception was in the 2016 UEFA Europa League semifinal, when they went out to Liverpool despite winning the first leg.
Moreno has either scored or assisted in all seven of his Europa League starts this season, netting six goals while assisting another three.
Trigueros’ opener for Villarreal at the fifth minute was the earliest European goal Arsenal have conceded since September 2016, when Edinson Cavani scored after 42 seconds for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Pepe has been directly involved in 10 goals in the Europa League this season (six goals and four assists), which is the joint-most of any player. The Frenchman scored in both legs in the last round.
Arsenal have been shown 10 red cards in all competitions under Arteta, twice as many as any other Premier League side in the period since he took over in December 2019.
This was the first time a former Arsenal manager (Emery) had beaten the Gunners since George Graham’s Tottenham side won 2-1 at White Hart Lane in a Premier League encounter in November 1999.
What’s next?
Both sides have domestic duties to contend with before the second leg in North London a week tonight (May 6).
Villarreal entertain lowly Getafe in La Liga on Sunday afternoon, while Arsenal go to Newcastle in the Premier League on the same afternoon.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
