Arsenal impressively swept aside Slavia Prague to reach the Europa League semi-finals with a fine away victory in the second leg.
The night had potential to be a nervy affair with the tie evenly poised at 1-1, but the Gunners produced one of their best performances of the campaign to keep alive their hopes of European qualification for next season.
They scored three goals in the opening 24 minutes and had another ruled out by the video assistant referee – all-but ending the contest in the opening period.
Nicolas Pepe squeezed home at the near post to open the scoring in the 18th minute before Alexandre Lacazette converted a penalty three minutes later following a foul on Bukayo Saka.
Saka coolly swept in the third as Arsenal tore their Czech opponents apart once more.
Mikel Arteta’s side controlled the game expertly thereafter and Lacazette smashed his second low into the net in the latter stages.
The Gunners will face Villarreal – managed by former Arsenal boss Unai Emery – in the last four.
Manchester United meet Roma in the other semi-final after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side comfortably saw off Granada.
Rampant Arsenal keep season going
This was Arsenal’s biggest game remaining this season – with a Europa League win in May their only realistic way of securing Champions League football next season given their league position.
Had they lost, their campaign would have effectively been over. Instead they breathed life into its final two months.
Their wastefulness in the first leg left the tie in the balance but in Prague, where their hosts had not lost for more than a year, they were supremely clinical.
Spurred on by the guile and energy of Emile Smith Rowe, they scored three goals from five first-half shots – doing so without their captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who revealed shortly before kick-off he has contracted malaria.
Slavia had already knocked Leicester and Rangers out of this year’s competition but at half-time they resorted to substituting four key players, seemingly an acceptance the tie was over.
It is 25 years since Arsenal failed to qualify for Europe and this win ensured they can extend that run.
A meeting with Emery, who took Arsenal to the Europa League final in 2019 and won the tournament three times as manager of Sevilla, awaits on 29 April.
Arsenal’s best performance of the season?
It is little surprise that this performance came with Smith Rowe and Saka – the two shining lights of Arsenal’s inconsistent season – reunited in the attacking line.
Smith Rowe, a doubt for the game with an ankle injury that kept him out of the weekend’s win over Sheffield United, had put Arsenal ahead in the 14th minute when he turned in the rebound after Saka’s rasping shot was turned on to the post but he was narrowly judged to be offside.
It was the 20-year-old playmaker, however, who showed delightful feet to tee up Pepe for the opener moments later.
He then played in Saka whose driving run was unfairly halted by the sliding Jakub Hromada, resulting in the second goal from the penalty spot.
Saka took the spotlight soon after, driving off his flank once more and finding the bottom corner while Lacazette was clinical with his spot-kick and assured second-half finish.
Pepe, too, a player often criticised during his time at Arsenal, impressed on the left. He now has five goals and four assists in this year’s competition.
It will also please Arteta how Arsenal managed the game with a defensive solidity not seen at times this season.
Lacazette loving the Europa League – the best stats
- Arsenal have reached the semi-finals of European competition for the 10th time (including Fairs Cup), with the Gunners getting to the last four in three of their four Europa League campaigns.
- Slavia Prague suffered their first home defeat in their last seven European games (W3 D3), conceding more goals in this game (4) than in the previous six on home soil (3).
- Arsenal have scored 3+ goals in four consecutive away games in all competitions for the first time since December 1932 (5 games).
- Arsenal kept a clean sheet in a European game for the first time in eight games, since a 3-0 away win over Molde in the Europa League in November 2020.
- Nicolas Pepe has been directly involved in nine goals in his 10 starts for Arsenal in the Europa League (4 goals, 5 assists).
- Emile Smith Rowe registered his seventh assist in all competitions this season, the joint-most of any Arsenal player in 2020-21 (level with Willian).
- Only Radamel Falcao (20) and Kevin Gameiro (19) have scored more Europa League knockout stage goals than Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette (18).
- Alexandre Lacazette has scored 2+ goals in consecutive games in all competitions for the first time for any club since his last three appearances for Lyon in May 2017.
- With four goals to his name, Bukayo Saka is now Arsenal’s joint-top teenage scorer in major European competition, level with Charlie George and Ray Kennedy.
What’s next?
Arsenal return to Premier League action on Sunday against Fulham at Emirates Stadium (13:30 BST kick-off).
Player of the match
SakaBukayo Saka
Slavia Prague
Squad number1Player nameKolar
Squad number5Player nameBah
Squad number3Player nameHoles
Squad number9Player nameOladeji Olayinka
Squad number16Player nameKuchta
Squad number7Player nameStanciu
Squad number6Player nameZima
Squad number23Player nameSevcik
Squad number18Player nameBoril
Squad number17Player nameProvod
Squad number25Player nameHromada
Squad number41Player nameVišinský
Squad number19Player nameDorley
Squad number28Player nameMasopust
Squad number32Player nameLingr
Squad number11Player nameTecl
Line-ups
Slavia Prague
Formation 4-1-2-1-2
- 1Kolar
- 5BahSubstituted forViÅ¡inskýat 45′minutes
- 3Holes
- 6Zima
- 18BorilSubstituted forDorleyat 45′minutes
- 25HromadaBooked at 20minsSubstituted forMasopustat 45′minutes
- 23Sevcik
- 17Provod
- 7StanciuSubstituted forLingrat 45′minutes
- 9Oladeji OlayinkaBooked at 63mins
- 16KuchtaSubstituted forTeclat 71′minutes
Substitutes
- 11Tecl
- 12Sima
- 13Stejskal
- 19Dorley
- 27Traore
- 28Masopust
- 31Kovar
- 32Lingr
- 41Višinský
Arsenal
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Leno
- 21Chambers
- 16Holding
- 22MarÃ
- 34Xhaka
- 18ParteySubstituted forCédric Soaresat 79′minutes
- 8Ceballos
- 7SakaSubstituted forMartinelliat 79′minutesBooked at 82mins
- 32Smith RoweSubstituted forElnenyat 67′minutes
- 19PépéSubstituted forBalogunat 88′minutes
- 9LacazetteSubstituted forNketiahat 79′minutes
Substitutes
- 2BellerÃn
- 6Gabriel
- 12Willian
- 17Cédric Soares
- 24Nelson
- 25Elneny
- 30Nketiah
- 33Ryan
- 35Martinelli
- 38Balogun
- 45Hillson
- 66Azeez
- Referee:
- Cüneyt Ãakir
Live Text
Match ends, Slavia Prague 0, Arsenal 4.
Second Half ends, Slavia Prague 0, Arsenal 4.
Foul by Stanislav Tecl (Slavia Prague).
Pablo Marà (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Arsenal. Folarin Balogun replaces Nicolas Pépé.
Attempt missed. Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Dani Ceballos.
Attempt blocked. Ondrej Lingr (Slavia Prague) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Tomás Holes.
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lukas Masopust (Slavia Prague) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal).
Substitution, Arsenal. Cédric Soares replaces Thomas Partey.
Substitution, Arsenal. Eddie Nketiah replaces Alexandre Lacazette.
Substitution, Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli replaces Bukayo Saka.
Goal! Slavia Prague 0, Arsenal 4. Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nicolas Pépé.
Offside, Arsenal. Bukayo Saka tries a through ball, but Mohamed Elneny is caught offside.
Foul by Lukas Masopust (Slavia Prague).
Dani Ceballos (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Slavia Prague. Stanislav Tecl replaces Jan Kuchta.
Foul by Jan Kuchta (Slavia Prague).
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