Arsenal vs Valencia: Five things we learned as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang puts Gunners clear in Europa League

In a tense, topsy-turvy game Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s last-gasp goal clinched a 3-1 victory for Arsenal and secured a decisive lead to take to Valencia in the Europa League semi-final.

Coming into the game on a streak of woeful form, Unai Emery’s side started hesitantly and fell behind after just eight minutes as Mouctar Diakhaby capitalised on poor defending from the corner to turn the ball in at the far post.

Arsenal could easily have conceded twice more before equalising against the run of play thanks to a brilliant goal created and finished by Lacazette. The Frenchman then added a second with a powerful header to give Arsenal the lead, before spurning a pair of golden opportunities to put his side out of sight in the second half.

But in the game’s dying moments, it was Aubameyang who thrashed Sead Kolasinac’s cross to give Arsenal a decisive advantage to take into the reverse fixture next week.

Here are five things we learned:

For a side who’ve leaked goals, cratered defensively and mentally, and seen their top-four hopes all but bob into the horizon, you’d have hoped that Arsenal would have started with organised urgency. Instead, the cautious fever that has seen Emery’s side concede nine goals in their last three games seemed to take on new life against greater opposition.

Early mistakes from Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles prevented them from settling. Moments later, Daniel Parejo clipped a free-kick from 40-yards over Arsenal’s sluggish high-line, the diminutive Rodrigo drifted to the back post unmarked, headed across the face of goal only for Ezequiel Garay’s shot to soar over the bar from just four yards.

Arsenal weren’t to heed the warning, and two minutes later there was an act of mimicry as Parejo’s corner again found Rodrigo basking at the back post. This time though, as his header raced across the face of goal, Diakhaby was there to bustle aside Lacazette and Granit Xhaka and turn in the vital away goal.

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Valencia could quite conceivably have taken a three-goal lead during Arsenal’s absent opening 15 minutes, but were ultimately punished for their own lack of conviction. They had the Gunners pinned to the floor, but an innocuous counter-attack suddenly forged the equaliser thanks to a brilliant piece of play from Lacazette. Dropping deep off Aubameyang, the Frenchman collected the ball on the edge of his own centre-circle, sent his strike partner clear with a defence-splitting through ball, and roared down the pitch in time to take advantage of Aubameyang’s cute jink inside and pass the ball into the empty net.

Eight minutes later and he had his second, peeling away from his marker at the back post and meeting Xhaka’s cross so powerfully that Neto could only manage to hopelessly parry it against the inside of the post and then the net.

With Aaron Ramsey’s absence and in a time of relative crisis, Arsenal desperately needed a player to haul them up when things threatened to unravel. It was Lacazette who stepped up.

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This time last year, Matteo Guendouzi was frustrated at being left out of Lorient’s 18-man squad for a Ligue 2 clash against Bourg-en-Bresse. Tonight, not for the first time this season, Emery entrusted the 19-year-old to take charge of central midfield over Lucas Torreira.

It was a risk which at first teased disaster. Unlike the miniature Uruguayan terrier, Guendouzi plays a more tradition central midfield role, pushing up in support in attacks and leaving space to exploit between himself and his defenders.

Bolton struggler turned Spain international Rodrigo harried the half-spaces, dragged the ever vulnerable defence out of position, and spearheaded Valencia’s confident start.

But then Guendouzi showed the experience to adapt that belied his age. He dropped deeper, focusing on whirring around the more stagnant and metronomic presence of Xhaka, picked up the loose balls, recycled possession and showed the composure to disrupt and accelerate play. In the 60 minutes he was on the pitch, he made more passes than any other player on the pitch, shared almost 15% of possession of the ball with Xhaka and proved why, even if his qualities may at times be less apparent than Torreira’s, he once again was chosen ahead of his teammate.

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It seems unfair to malign Petr Cech in his final season before retirement. At his peak, one of the best goalkeeper’s in the world, but his mind simply won’t allow him to adapt. The echoes of last season’s collective gasps as the Czech desperately attempted to play from the back and imitate the likes of Ederson and Allison returning in a first-half of strayed passing. In the opening 45 minutes, Cech attempted seven passes. Not one of them found its target and the concept of building from the back could never quite begin.

But while his reflexes may have faded, the veteran was still on hand to make a vital save which stopped Arsenal from carelessly squandering their lead in the second half. Kevin Gameiro raced clean through on goal, but Czech was aware and charged out to make the block with his legs when it looked for all the world like the Spanish side were prepared to take the lead.

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There were chances aplenty but none more distinct than those belonging to Lacazette. This time it was Aubemeyang’s magic that conjured the opening, cutting inside from the left and dinking the deftest of chips towards Lacazette. Just six yards out though, the Frenchman totally misjudged the header, diving through the air and into the ground when contact would’ve meant a certain goal. Four minutes later and again Lacazette’s instincts deserted him, drilling a shot off his weaker foot into Neto’s legs from just eight yards out when any sense of other direction would do.

It seemed as though those opportunities would leave Arsenal with a precarious, nerve-riven task in Spain until Aubameyang’s decisive finish in the dying moment’s of the match. Kolasinac skewed a cross out from under his feet towards the far post and the Gabonese striker thrashed it home to change the complexion of the tie and ease Arsenal’s angst with a decisive moment.