Sevilla 1 Arsenal 2
They were made to resist, but Arsenal are back on top. Just as the clock turned 90 in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Youssef En-Nesyri leapt to head, Sevilla still coming at the visitors in search of the equaliser that would change everything. But the ball flew wide leaving Arsenal to hold on to a 2-1 victory, their Champions League future in their own hands. Ultimately, two grand moments from Gabriel Jesus either side of half-time did it; the first an exceptional assist that broke the game open in the blink of an eye, the second the shot that flashed past Ørjan Nyland and into the far corner.
Arsenal’s opening goal came at the very end of the first half, with the game starting to tilt away from them and just at the moment when Sevilla thought they could get one of their own, only to be suddenly sliced open. Superb footwork from Lucas Ocampos saw him get away from Bukayo Saka, slipping the ball through the England international’s legs and running at the defence, space opening before him, the Sánchez-Pizjuán’s voice rising with each step of the run, only to fall swiftly silent because when Dodi Lukebakio’s cross was cleared by Gabriel Magalhães, they were exposed.
A lovely turn from Jesus, a moment every bit as good as Ocampos’s had been, saw him evade two players and slide the ball into a huge gap. Running free was Martinelli, alone from the halfway line, a long run to the goal, right through the middle. Nyland came to him. It was the second time that the two men had come face to face but this time the outcome was different, the finish smoother. Martinelli slowed, shifted his body weight, stepped around the goalkeeper to the right and rolled the ball into an empty net.
Martinelli had the goal that he had not been able to take earlier on when, 10 minutes in, he had been released by Jorginho only to signal his intentions a little too clearly and allowed the Norwegian keeper to block. At that point it had seemed Arsenal would open Sevilla up often, stepping high and dominating the opening period, but Diego Alonso’s side had settled and that early impetus had slipped. Bit by bit, Sevilla had taken a step forward. The issue was that too often their moves ended at the feet of Lukebakio.
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It was he who missed the best of the first half opportunities Sevilla had, and one had come from a worryingly familiar place. David Raya, who had already looked a little uneasy when put under pressure, gave a loose pass straight to Ocampos who found Lukebakio right by the penalty spot. His touch, though, saw the ball escape him and Raya escape another interrogation in the great goalkeeping debate.
This was not a game of many chances, and it was Sevilla who got the best of them, Sergio Ramos stepping out from the back to find Ocampos who nudged it into the path of En-Nesyri. Beyond the defence, his shot faded past the far post but Sevilla were encouraged by that, increasingly stepping forward. As it turned out, that was not a great idea.
Sevilla had been cut, barely time to restart before the break. If that was at least a chance to patch themselves up, the wound was quickly opened further, and superbly so. Jesus received the ball on the left, cut inside Jesús Navas, stepped on to the sweet spot for a shot and bent a brilliant finish into the far corner.
Arsenal had started the second period as if determined to end this contest and now, nine minutes in, it seemed that they might have done. But a Nemanja Gudelj header from a corner put Sevilla back in it and then Mariano Díaz, on as a substitute, brought the ball down on his chest and smashed a shot against the bar, albeit the flag belatedly went up; game back on, the Pizjuán back in voice. Then came an overhead kick from Ocampos.
Sevilla were throwing what they could at Arsenal now. This perhaps was what Mikel Arteta meant about the importance of emotional management, the capacity to withstand these moments and find a way through them. The end of the first half had shown that, while the pressure built, there could be opportunity in Sevilla stepping forward, taking risks.
They did not manage to take advantage; nor, in the end, did they need to, William Saliba in particular standing firm, En-Nesyri scuffing a brief sight of the ball in the area. “Europe knows what we are capable of,” the home banner had warned at the beginning but Sevilla could not find a way through. Arsenal now should.
- Guardian
