Arsenal are out of the Europa League after failing to beat Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
The Gunners were 2-1 down from the first leg, but Nicolas Pepe’s away goal had given fans hope of progressing.
After all, a 1-0 win would have been enough for Arsenal to advance, but they came up against a stubborn Villarreal side.
Unai Emery’s men scrapped and fought for a 0-0 draw, though Nicolas Pepe, Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all went close in the second half.
This result means Arsenal almost certainly won’t have European football next season, and Mikel Arteta cut a devastated figure at the full-time whistle.
What made the exit hurt even more is that a former Arsenal player came back and turned in a superb performance against the Gunners, with Francis Coquelin shining.
The French midfielder made more than 160 appearances for Arsenal before being sold to Valencia in January 2018, and he’s now a key part of Emery’s Villarreal side.
Coquelin won four aerial duels, two tackles, made two clearances and blocked a shot in a strong performance.
Arsenal fans have been taking to Twitter to react to Coquelin’s display, raving about his ‘masterclass’ at the Emirates.
Others felt that the former Arsene Wenger signing ‘dominated’ Thomas Partey, and feel that Arsenal may actually be better off with Coquelin in midfield instead of Partey based on last night’s performance…
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