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Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiacos: Gunners reach quarter-finals

By Rob Worthington

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal interacts with Pedro Martins, Head Coach of Olympiakos after the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at Emirates Stadium on March 18, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal interacts with Pedro Martins, Head Coach of Olympiakos after the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at Emirates Stadium on March 18, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiacos: Gunners reach quarter-finals despite 1-0 defeat. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

A poor outing from Arsenal tonight saw them lose 1-0 to Olympiacos in the Europa League, but still secure passage to the Europa League quarter-finals with a 3-2 aggregate success. Here are the player ratings.

From the off, Arsenal lacked intensity and the impact of quite a strange team selection was evident.

Olympiacos’ talisman and Arsenal bogey man Youssef El-Arabi scored a goal early in the second half to cause a slight scare but the Greek side didn’t offer much of a threat elsewhere. As many expected, Arsenal did their best not to make it easy for themselves with some really sloppy play throughout the night.

Regardless, the Gunners’ 3-2 victory on aggregate sends them through to the next round of the Europa League. When all is said and done, it didn’t matter how Arsenal got the job done tonight as long as they managed to progress to the quarter-finals.

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiacos: Gunners reach quarter-finals despite 1-0 defeat

Here’s our player ratings from Arsenal’s 3-2 aggregate victory over Olympiacos in the Europa League Round of 16.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Arsenal’s Brazilian defender David Luiz (L) vies with Olympiakos’ Moroccan forward Youssef El-Arabi during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, 2nd leg football match between Arsenal and Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 18, 2021. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Brazilian defender David Luiz (L) vies with Olympiakos’ Moroccan forward Youssef El-Arabi during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, 2nd leg football match between Arsenal and Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 18, 2021. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Bernd Leno – 5: Not at fault for El-Arabi’s goal but Bernd Leno appeared to struggle a bit at times this evening. His distribution was poor and due to spending most the night as a bystander he seemed to lack a bit of sharpness. A rest over the international break would be welcomed by the German shot stopper.

Hector Bellerin – 5: Another indifferent display from Hector Bellerin. The Spaniard had some good moments but struggled on the ball. Him and Pépé looks like a partnership that’ll just never work for Arsenal.

David Luiz – 5.5: Hmmm… A tough one. Luiz was important in key moments, with some crucial interventions. However, he let El-Arabi inside far to easily for the Moroccan’s goal. From a senior player, you expect a bit more.

Gabriel – 6.5: Once again, the Brazillian hardly put a foot wrong defensively and had some really positive moments. However, sometimes his passing was a bit rash. Probably Arsenal’s best performer on the night which says a lot considering he was pretty average.

Kieran Tierney – 5: As always, Tierney played with his heart on his sleeve this evening but unfortunately he looked like a player in desperate need for a rest. Surprising that he started to be honest.

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