UEFA Europa League: Danny Welbeck shoots Arsenal to 11th consecutive win
Arsenal extended their winning streak to 11 after a late goal by Danny Welbeck helped them topple Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Europa League.
This win propelled the Gunners to the top position in Group E.
A mistake from Sebastian Coates in the 77th minute gave Welbeck an opening as he unleashed a powerful strike that went through the legs of goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro.
There seems to be an all-new energy around in Arsenal camp after a stunning comeback win over Leicester City in the Premier League on Monday.
They walked into the game with the record of not having defeated a Portuguese club away from home but carried that confidence that this time might just turn the tables in their favour.
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And so it did. While the first-half seemed as if the result would be a dull draw, the second part of the game was more lively as a Welbeck header being denied early on after he was found to have fouled a defender.
At the half-an-hour mark, former Manchester United winger Nani had the best chance for his side with a curling shot.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had starred with a brace against Leicester City on Monday was denied twice after the interval.
Having enjoyed 67% of the ball possession, Arsenal’s repeated efforts at breaking the deadlock bore fruit after Welbeck cut through the defence and scored the winner. Welbeck now has five goals in his 10 appearances for Arsenal this season.
An impressed Unai Emery stressed on the need for the backing of the supporters.
We are only thinking of the next match against Crystal Palace. We are also enjoying each moment with our supporters. For us, it’s very important that supporters are with us and enjoy it.
“I’m enjoying continuing the work, our process. They have a high demand for us because every match is not easy for us. Historically, this has been very difficult for us and I know this.
“For us, continuing to win is what we want but we know it’s not easy and we can lose. But we need to continue finding the solution for us to be better in the first halves,” he added.
Image credit-The Independent