Arsenal: The beauty of something-from-nothing centre-forwards

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rescued Arsenal in Thursday night’s win over Valencia. They illustrated the beauty of something-from-nothing centre-forwards.

It wasn’t going very well. Arsenal, at what has been the fortress of the Emirates Stadium this season, were reeling. Valencia, their Europa League semi-final opponents, had already scored one goal, notching that crucial away strike in double-legged European ties, and were threatening to score another, Ezequiel Garay blazing over from yards out with the goal gaping.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Death, Decay, Despair

Valencia were strutting their stuff with quintessential Spanish flair and fragrance, a fluid midfield overruning their hosts’ somewhat statuesque counterparts. And then, from seemingly nothing: inspiration. It came, predictably, from the usual source: two something-from-nothing centre-forwards.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

When Alexandre Lacazette collected a pass from Mesut Ozil, he had his back to the goal, a defender sprawling all over his shoulders, and was ten yards inside his own half. How a goal could be scored within eight seconds and two passes, no one could envisage. And yet, that is precisely what happened.

Lacazette immediately spun past his defender, driving forwards at a suddenly exposed Valencia defender. Rather than dribble and waste the opportunity, though, Lacazette immediately freed his strike partner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with a sensationally weighted through pass.

Aubameyang raced onto the ball, cut inside a defender and then, with tremendous, seemingly all-seeing awareness, prodded a return pass to the oncoming Lacazette, who simply had to roll the ball into the empty net, the goalkeeper having rushed out to close down the angle for Aubameyang’s potential shot.

It was not long after that Lacazette was doubling Arsenal’s lead. Granit Xhaka floated a lovely cross in that he met with a powerful header, the Valencia goalkeeper scrambling to clear it but unable to prevent it bouncing over the line.

And then Aubameyang decided to snatch his piece of the pie, creating space for himself with some brilliant movement, feigning a run across the face of the defender before pulling away to the far post to volley home Sead Kolasinac’s clipped cross. Yet another goal almost from nothing.

Aubameyang’s third in the 90th minute handed the Gunners a 3-1 victory that puts them in complete command of the tie. Taking a 2-1 lead to the Mestalla is precarious, to say the least, especially with Valencia already having an away goal. But that third makes all the difference, and it came from the goalscoring anticipation of Aubameyang.

Arsenal have two centre-forwards who can score from nothing. At any moment, they have the ability to threaten. You can never rest, never relax, never allow yourself to slip into complacency. They are livewires, and it is beautiful to watch.