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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:02:02 GMT
Arsenal: Leno; Holding, Mari, Xhaka; Bellerin, Smith Rowe, Partey, Saka; Pépé, Aubameyang, Odegaard
Subs: Tierney, Willian, Gabriel, Okonkwo, Martinelli, Rya, Nketiah, Elneny, Chambers, Nelson, Soares, Lacazette
Villarreal: Rulli; Gaspar, Albiol, Torres, Pedraza; Parejo, Coquelin, trigueros; Moreno, Alcacer, Chukwueze
Subs: Nino, Rodriguez, Santos, Gomez, Costa, Ena, Moreno, Estupinan, Raba, Bacca, Asenjo, Funes Mori
90 min
Arsenal 5/6
Villa 3/1
Draw 11/4
Qualification
Arsenal 11/10
Villa 4/6
Qualify with ET
Arsenal 20/1
Villa 22/1
Qualify with penalties
33/1 either side
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:04:26 GMT
Unai Emery dashes out of the tunnel at last knockings, looks around for Arteta, greets him, Arsenal players take the knee, Villarreal players don't, and finally the ref gets it underway.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:08:39 GMT
Tierney has taken the place of Xhaka who has taken a last-minute injury, it seems.
And on'5 it's an angled left foot drive from the side of the area by Chukwueze. It flies well but Leno flies better to palm it over with his left hand. An early warning there.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:17:36 GMT
Arsenal having most possession on the quarter-hour but not doing much positive with it. Villa look the most threatening of the two when they do get possession.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:29:22 GMT
Free-kick Villa on '24 just outside the box. Dangerous position as Leno lines up his wall. Saka is the sleeper, lying behind the wall. Pajero fires it over the wall and beyond the bar. Close but I think Leno would have got it had it dipped.
Now it bobbles about the Villa area and falls to Aubemeyang who drives a right-footer beyond Rulli and it scrapes off the near post!
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:35:54 GMT
Chukwueze, one of Villa's key players here, is injured and has to go off before the half-hour. That's a blow. Arteta won't mind but Emery looks most concerned and bothered. His well-oiled hair, though, remains unruffled and he reminds you of the street drummer in Taxi Driver.  |
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:42:19 GMT
Arsenal get their first shot on target on '39 with Smith-Rowe bursting through the middle and finding Abermeyang over on the left. He fires one on goal which keeper Rulli stoops to gather but then spills. Unfortunately there's no Arsenal player following up to collect the spillage.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 19:51:38 GMT
It's goalless at the break. If anything, you'd think Villarreal was the team behind on aggregate.
Changes at the half? Lacazette? Martinelli? There's no shortage of expendable lambs after that 45 minutes, let's be honest.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:09:55 GMT
Nope, no changes in the Arsenal camp. Sooner or later they've got to break cover and show themselves.
There's a shot by Pepe from the side of the area, but no good, well wide.
Pepe again moments later, same position, but shot blocked before it'd travelled a yard. No good.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:13:20 GMT
Another chance. Bellerin this time, is it, with the looped chip after the keeper pats a ball only half-clear. No, wait, it was Smith-Rowe with the chip. It glided a foot or more wide from the woodwork junction. Not good enough, says Arteta, who covers his face with both hands on '49.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:16:26 GMT
And here's a reminder of the danger. A quick break by Villa with Partey getting caught short and Moreno bursting forth and bearing down on goal. He can't get his boot under the shot, though, and it's a comfortable save for Leno on '55.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:25:52 GMT
We're in a spell on '65 where Arsenal are chasing the ball - well, half-heartedly following it.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:27:06 GMT
Here's a substitution. Martinelli on, Odegaard off on '66.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:34:34 GMT
Saka wins a free-kick outside the area on '73, a few yards form the byline. He chips one in which finds the unmarked head of Holding but it goes way over the bar. It's not happening. Yet...
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:36:22 GMT
Two minutes later the ball's whipped in again to Holding in the area. He rises well but the ball ricochets ridiculously off the side of his head and goes extremely wide.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:42:23 GMT
Arsenal now beginning to force it on Villarreal, knowing that time's running out. 10 minutes left but the visitors don't look like they're going to give up this advantage anytime soon. And it needs to be soon.
Wait - cross comes in, Abermeyang's head, it goes towards the target and bounces off the bottom of the post!
And that's Abemeyang's last action as he and Tierney are replaced by Lacazette and Willian. 8 minutes now.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:50:10 GMT
Well, one goal would do it here for Arsenal. One goal. They've barely managed the one shot on target, though.
Willian down the left, threatening a cross but he's hustled off the ball and it comes to nothing which is precisely what Arseanal's season will come to if they don't pot in whatever added time there is as the clock now hits '90.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:54:07 GMT
5 minutes of added, the first 90 seconds of which are wasted by Villarreal substitutions. Arteta makes a sub too. You'd think he'd just want to get on with it at this stage.
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Post by staggerstag on May 6, 2021 20:58:49 GMT
It's all over. It's all over. 0-0 on the night and 2-1 to Villarreal overall. They'll face Manchester in the Final while Arsenal's season has petered out in the most half-hearted fashion. Sorry pal but this wasn't good enough. Makes no odds to me but your fans deserved more of a show than this.
The Villa players are jumping up and down, there are cheers and celebratory shouts from the touchlines, Arteta and Emery exchange a brisk handshake on a hugely disappointing night for Arsenal.
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Post by DrKrippen on May 6, 2021 20:59:56 GMT
Disappointing end to a disappointing season for Arsenal. Out of Europe completely next year.
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