Arsenal are through to the last 16 of the Europa League, after Bakayo Saka’s delightful cross was nodded home by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the dying minutes of a tie that the Gunners almost contrived to lose.
Mikel Arteta sprung no surprises with his line-up and opted for the same 11 who were unlucky to leave Rome with a draw last week – minus Cedric Soares who made way for the fit again Kieran Tierney.
Arsenal had more possession and sustained threat in the final-third as shown in the above plots, but the game was played at a ponderous pace and The Gunners only accrued 10 shots – with just 4 of those coming after Tierney’s equaliser.
When questioned, Mikel Arteta said he opted to bring on Willian instead of Pepe or Gabriel Martinelli because of the lack of space and the need for special quality in tight areas. Somehow, his decision was vindicated when the Brazilian attacked the left half space and broke Benfica’s compact shape which in turn led to the equaliser.
