Europa League Last-16 Second Leg

ARSENAL 1 (Xhaka 19)
SPORTING LISBON 1 (Goncalves 62, Ugarte sent off 118)
Aggregate 3-3 – Sporting win 5-3 on penalties

MIKEL Arteta is urging his players to only focus on Sunday’s “final” against Crystal Palace after Arsenal were dumped out of Europe tonight (Thursday).

The Gunners were beaten on penalties by Sporting Lisbon at the end of their Europa League last-16 tie following an eventful night at the Emirates Stadium.

The north Londoners had looked on course to qualify for the quarter-finals when Granit Xhaka found the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes after Gabriel Martinelli’s initial shot was well-saved by Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan.

But Arsenal failed to drive home their advantage by finding that all-important second goal, and paid the price when Pedro Goncalves scored with an outrageous effort from the centre circle – leaving those home fans old enough suffering flashbacks to Nayim’s 1995 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final goal against David Seaman.

In the end, it was left to the luck of a penalty shoot-out to settle matters as the game finished in a 1-1 draw on the night and 3-3 on aggregate. Martinelli was the only player who failed to score, his spot-kick comfortably saved by Adan, allowing Nuno Santos to net the winner.

Arteta described the defeat as “a huge blow”, and called on his players to put things right in the Premier League this Sunday.

“We wanted to go through and we put everything into it, the effort the boys put in when it wasn’t our best day, individually and collectively, the hunger and the desire they showed to win, the way they were tracking back was incredible,” said the Arsenal boss. “They really wanted it and it didn’t happen. We need to put our heads up and look towards Crystal Palace.

“Now there are 11 games and that’s the only focus that we have and everybody is thinking about one thing, that’s Palace, and being in the best mental and physical condition for Sunday.”

Despite putting in a poor performance against Sporting the Gunners still almost managed to snatch the win in extra-time. Gabriel went agonisingly close twice in the final minutes with a header that was tipped over the bar, and then an effort that was cleared off the goalline.

They were the final chances in a night of so many nearly moments for both teams. Sporting shot-stopper Adan had to stay sharp to keep out Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus in quick succession in the first half.

At the other end of the pitch Manuel Ugarte, who was sent off in extra-time following a dangerous sliding tackle on Bukayo Saka, drilled a deflected shot inches wide just before half-time.

Sporting were the better team for large spells in the second half, too, with Paulinho heading onto the roof of the net from a corner, while former Tottenham player Marcus Edwards raced one-on-one with the keeper only to by denied by Aaron Ramsdale’s face.

Leandro Trossard hit the post in extra-time for the Gunners when he was gifted possession, running through one-on-one with the Adan, who got a vital touch onto the woodwork.

Despite Arsenal’s late onslaught the game had to be settled by spot-kicks. Martin Odegaard, Saka and Trossard all coolly dispatched their penalties but Martinelli failed with a poor strike down the middle, and Santos made it five from five to seal the win for Sporting.

The night proved costly in more ways than one for the Gunners, who lost Takehiro Tomiyasu to injury after just nine minutes, and then, barely 10 minutes later, saw William Saliba limp out of the action, too.

Offering an update on the defenders, Arteta said: “Tomiyasu looks pretty serious, for his reaction straight away and what he said to me. Obviously, it’s very early and difficult to know. William, I don’t know. He had some discomfort and could not carry on, so we had to take him off.”

Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu (White, 9), Saliba (Holding, 21), Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho (Partey, 65), Xhaka, Vieira (Odegaard, 101), Nelson (Saka, 65), Jesus (Trossard, 45), Martinelli
Substitutes not used: Turner, Hillson, Tierney, Partey, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Kiwior

Sporting Lisbon: Adan, St Juste, Diomande, Inacio, Esgaio, Goncalves (Essugo, 90+3), Ugarte, Reis (Santos, 90+4), Trincao (Gomes, 105), Paulinho (Chermiti, 90), Edwards (Tanlongo, 119)
Substitutes not used: Israel, Alexandropoulos, Neto, Rochinha, Issahaku, Cabral, Mateus