Arsenal come from behind as errors leave Sporting tie in balance – 6 talking points
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side traveled to Lisbon for the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 and played a four-goal thriller that leaves the Gunners with plenty of questions
Arsenal drew 2-2 at Sporting in the Europa League round of 16 that saw the lead change.
The Gunners made their way to the Estadio Jose Alvalade with a goal of returning to north London with a healthy advantage ahead of next week’s second leg at the Emirates. However, it was actually the hosts who brought the better of the two teams into play.
Sporting failed to put their early pressure on and were punished accordingly when William Saliba headed Arsenal ahead after just over 20 minutes from a superb Fabio Vieira corner.
Arsenal couldn’t celebrate for too long as Sporting tied with an almost identical goal around 10 minutes later. Goncalo Inacio climbed highest to pass Matt Turner and thwart the Gunners’ lead.
The game was completely turned on its head 10 minutes into the second half when Paulinho put Sporting ahead after Turner saved just one attempt back into the danger zone.
The goalscorer should have given Sporting a 3-1 lead soon after, but shot wide, only Turner could be beaten. Within seconds Arsenal had equalized in unusual circumstances, Granit Xhaka’s pass deflected off Hidemasa Morita and ending in the back net.
mirror football identified six key talking points from an end-to-end encounter in Lisbon that even ended with honours.
Kiwior’s first game
Jakub Kiwior, signed in January, got his first minutes as an Arsenal player nearly two months after he first joined from Spezia for £21million.
Those who have been keeping a close eye on the Poland international’s development will know that one of Kiwior’s strongest attributes is his passing ability and all-around technical quality.
Despite his size, Sporting’s first goal suggests Kiwior still has work to do in the air.
The debutant stayed where he should have jumped to clear the corner from which Sporting equalised. Kiwior’s positioning could also be questioned for the host’s second-place finish.
Arteta calls the changes
With Arsenal five points clear at the top of the Premier League, some sections of the Gunners faithful may have been hoping Arteta would field some fringe players for a Europa League game.
However, the manager has long since made it clear that he expects his star players to be able to play three times a week and that is obviously required of the likes of Saka, Martinelli and Saliba to name just three.
With that in mind, the Spaniard made six changes to the side that beat Bournemouth on Saturday and for context, most of the changes Arteta made between league games are three.
The tricky Fulham trip awaiting Arsenal in La Liga on Sunday was clearly not on Arteta’s mind as he named a very strong line-up for the Sporting trip, with the aforementioned trio featuring the likes of Zinchenko, Ben White and Granit Xhaka as linked players likely to play at the weekend.
Vieira beams home
In what was at times a scrappy affair with plenty of loose balls, it was Fabio Vieira who stood out among those in the Arsenal shirt.
He was often booed and abused by Sporting fans due to his past links with his rivals Porto, but Vieira seemed undeterred as he pulled the strings and was at the center of all things positive for the Gunners.
Vieira has been questioned at times this season following his £35m move last summer, but at Lisbon he looked much closer to the player who was scoring or assisting every 66 minutes last season.
His assist for Saliba’s header was delightful, with the perfectly weighted cross incorporating the right amount of height and curve to render Sporting’s defense helpless.
If the Portugal U21 international can show the form he has in his home country in London, Arsenal could be a winner.
Martinelli leads the line
With Arsenal suffering from an attacking injury crisis and all three of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard ruled out, it fell to Martinelli to lead the line.
The young Brazilian put on a performance much closer to the style of Jesus and Trossard than Nketiah. Martinelli often dropped lower than expected to retrieve the ball from midfield while Arsenal’s wingers stayed high.
Martinelli had two excellent chances to get on the scoresheet, although he would have been served better on the first had he passed through to Vieira, who would certainly have tapped an empty goal.
The second followed on a sensational run, but a last-ditch effort from Jeremiah St Juste prevented a stunning solo goal.
Overall, Arteta would have been heartened by what he has seen and it will come as no surprise that Martinelli will be cast in the same role on Sunday.
Xhaka puts on the armband
Granit Xhaka’s infamous angry tirade at his own fans now feels like a distant memory and it’s easy to forget that it cost him the club’s captaincy.
With the usual skipper Martin Odegaard retired from this duel due to illness, Xhaka donned the armband and put on a spirited performance that underscored his leadership qualities.
A hand-to-hand fight ensued after Arsenal’s opener after Zinchenko felt he had been punched in the face. Xhaka was front and center, fighting for his teammates and protecting everyone in a red and white shirt.
A look at the second leg
The result leaves that tie tied before the second leg at the Emirates in seven days.
With the away goals rule no longer in force, Sporting will be confident they can stage an upset in north London based on what happened in Lisbon.
From Arsenal’s perspective, they will be confident that with home advantage they can get the job done, although some defensive weaknesses have certainly been revealed and that will give Arteta a lot to think about.