Europa League Review: Arsenal blow golden chance and Marseille look comfortable

Arsenal looked to have been heading for a memorable victory at the Emirates, but their defensive and mental frailties returned when Atletico Madrid equalised late-on. A 1-1 draw against a side that has been in two out of the last four Champions League finals isn’t a disaster, although the manner in which it occurred made it feel that way.

The atmosphere may have not been particularly good in North London in recent weeks, but Arsenal had won their last six games on home turf. There was certainly an increased sense of importance from their supporters for Arsene Wenger’s last European game at the stadium, although the players initially helped the cause.

Arsenal started brightly, but they were aided by Sime Vrsaljko’s rash decisions. The right-back was booked for a foul on Jack Wilshere early-on and then sent-off for a second bookable offence when he mistimed his challenge on Danny Welbeck.

French referee Clement Turpin confirmed his authority and control when he sent Atleti manager Diego Simeone to the stands just moments later, due to the gesticulation aimed from the Argentine in the official’s direction. The home side created plenty for the next half-hour against the 10-men, with Alexandre Lacazette forcing a good one-handed save from Jan Oblak and the Slovenian stopping another with his feet off Welbeck.

The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to both Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks, although he still has three years remaining on his contract, so there’s no rush for the Atleti board to make a decision on his future. David Ospina was selected ahead of Petr Cech for The Gunners, with the experienced goalkeeper only just overcoming his recent groin problem.

Arsenal had Mohamed Elneny and Henrikh Mkhitaryan missing through injury, whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was ineligible once more. Mesut Ozil and Wilshere had recovered from their respective issues to take the field.

Atleti still offered a threat at the other end and Thomas Partey weaved his way through the Arsenal defence due to a combination of pace and strength before laying it off to Antoine Griezmann in the 37^thminute. The French forward looked like he was about to bury the opportunity, but Ospina was equal to the effort.

Lacazette did break the deadlock when his header from a Wilshere cross finally beat Oblak on the hour mark. It was one-way traffic for much of the second half, as Arsenal looked to increase their leverage.

However, with eight minutes left Griezmann raced clear of the backline after he had been left one-on-one with Laurent Koscielny. The centre-back fell to the ground and although Ospina saved his first shot, he was on-hand to put it into the net.

It was the first time that the striker had scored in England and it was his 14^thstrike in as many matches. He was replaced by Fernando Torres minutes after the defining moment, whilst Diego Costa who has missed the last three matches stayed on the bench.

Atletico had won just one of their last five and not scored in three out of their previous four matches, as they had been stumbling towards the conclusion of the campaign. Their thin squad has been hit by injuries, although the decision to allow Yannick Carrasco, Nico Gaitan and Augusto Fernandez to leave for China in January has contributed to their lack of reinforcements along with the transfer ban last summer.

It was a missed opportunity for Arsenal and they will have to produce something special at the Wanda Metropolitano next Thursday if they are to progress to the final in Lyon. Los Rojiblancos have the best defensive record in Europe, even with missing first option full-backs Filipe Luis and Juanfran.

Marseille hold the advantage, but don’t underestimate Salzburg’s home record

Marseille looked comfortable as they overcame Salzburg 2-0, although they will be wary of the Austrian champions in next week’s return encounter. Marco Rose’s men have an exceptional home record and have already bypassed Borussia Dortmund and Lazio in this year’s tournament.

Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou was caught offside after a clever piece of invention from Dimitri Payet inside the first three minutes. It was an early warning for Salzburg of their hosts capability from set pieces, but they failed to heed the caution when Florian Thauvin connected with a brilliant free-kick from Payet after only quarter-of-an-hour.

The winger’s header did take a deflection off his left-hand, but it was almost impossible for the officials to spot the misdemeanour given the speed of the event. It was the former Newcastle attacker’s fifth goal in the four games since he has returned from injury, although he has been outstanding all season for Les Olympiens with 22 goals in all competitions.

Diadie Samassekou had missed Salzburg’s last Europa League match through suspension, but he returned in central midfield. Their right-back Stefan Lainer was their best player in the first 45 minutes, as he took up some dangerous positions in attacking areas and he felt he should have had a penalty in the second half when he was upended.

Moments later, Hannes Wolf showed more attacking intent from the away side, when he saw his shot tipped over the crossbar by Marseille goalkeeper Yohann Pele. However, it was Marseille that extended their advantage when substitute Clinton N’Jie produced a quality finish.

The French side have now scored 15 goals in their last four games including the 5-1 victory over Lille at the weekend. Marseille’s technical ability behind their central forward has been their main strength, but the role of centre-back Adil Rami shouldn’t be underestimated in this display.

Salzburg’s pressing style has been a key reason why they have overachieved in this season’s tournament, although there was a distinct lack of intensity at the Orange Velodrome. Andreas Ulmer’s fantastic swinging cross was side-footed onto the post by Fredrik Gulbrandsen, which was the closest that Salzburg came to an elusive away goal.