It is time to see how Arsenal performed in their Europa League fixture against Molde FK. We have all the player ratings.
Having won their last three Europa League fixtures, Arsenal had a great opportunity to confirm a place in the knockout phase. After a 4-1 win in the reverse fixture, the Gunners looked confident to beat Molde away from home. And with plenty of youngsters in the squad, Mikel Arteta was hoping to inspire his team in the European tournament.
The home side on the other hand had two wins on their account in Group B, hence a win would bring them close to qualification. With this as their only objective, the Norwegian team declared war against Arsenal right from the start of the game. In fact, Molde gave a tough fight to the visitors, with 51 percent possession along with 11 total attempts. But it was not sufficient to beat the Premier League side who were determined to grab the three points. But, all the action came in the second half.
The young Gunners help the team qualify.
Molde made strong efforts to counter the visiting team but finally failed just before the one-hour mark. Quick goals from Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson took Arsenal way ahead of the local boys. The Ivory Coast international fired home to break the deadlock between this tough battle. Five minutes later, Nelson doubled the lead with his goal, which already meant that the Gunners achieved what they wanted.
Nevertheless, Folarin Balogun came off the sidelines to score his first-ever senior goal for Arsenal. Andreas Linde in the Molde goal could not handle the rising youngsters from Arteta’s squad list. With 12 points in the standings, Arsenal qualifies for the next stage. Whereas Molde will face Dundalk in their next Europa League encounter and they hope to secure the three points. Though, the Norwegian team stands second on the table at the moment.
Player ratings
Molde FK: Linde (4), Gregersen (5), Sinyan (4), Wingo (4), Risa (3), Ellingsen (4), Hussain (5), Hestad (7), Aursnes (7), Eikrem (6), James (4).
Bench: Omoijuanfo (6), Knudtzon (6), Brynhildsen (6), Pedersen (5), Bolly (4).
Arsenal: Runarsson (7), Mustafi (8), Luiz (7), Soares (8), Maitland-Niles (8), Willock (9), Xhaka (8), Pepe (9), Nelson (8), Lacazette (6), Nketiah (3).
Bench: Tierney (6), Ceballos (6), Holding (7), Smith Rowe (7), Balogun (9).
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