Arsenal players' ratings in their 0-1 loss to Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid were the favourite team to make it into the finals of the Europa League after securing a crucial away goal while playing at Emirates Stadium a week ago. Diego Costa's return to the team serves as a timely boost to the club's attack force. Arsenal had previously struggled to keep the forward quiet when the Spaniard was playing for Chelsea.
Arsenal welcomed Henrikh Mkhitaryan back into the squad after the Armenian suffered a knee injury not too long ago. The former Manchester United player scored against his former club over the weekend, but there were concerns over his fitness after he suffered a knock in the match.
Within minutes of beginning the match, Laurent Koscielny went to the ground in extreme pain and had to be replaced by Calum Chambers. The Frenchman's injury looked serious and he may miss out on the World Cup for France.
Arsenal had a number of chances in the first-half, but their attacking force was greatly restricted by the strong defense line put up by the Spanish side. In the extra time of the first 45 minutes, Costa opened the scoring and put his side 2-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal were wasteful in their chances and could not find that vital equaliser to push things into extra time. The club had performed well throughout the European journey this season. Unfortunately, things came to an end in Spain. It will be the second consecutive season that Arsenal miss out on Champions League and the club has to work harder next season.
It was more upsetting to see Wenger depart the club which disappointed him till the end of the day. Here is how the Gunners fared in their display in Spain.
David Ospina: 7/10
The Colombian was selected ahead of Petr Cech, but he struggled whenever his opponents took set-pieces. Atletico Madrid threatened through the corners and freekicks they had and Ospina never looked calm.
He could do little to prevent Costa's goal, as he was let down by Bellerin in the buildup to that goal. Other than that, Ospina did well to prevent Atletico from extending their scoreline.
Hector Bellerin: 6.5/10
The right-back was full of energy when it came down to attack. He provided massive support to Mesut Ozil and delivered some fine crosses into the box. However, he was nowhere near Costa when the latter scored against Arsenal. Bellerin ought to have been more alert and aware of the presence of his opponents.
Shkodran Mustafi: 6.5/10
It was a calm display from the German international. He worked well with Chambers. There was a chance for him to score a header for Arsenal, but he could not keep the ball down. His side was lucky that the opponents failed to score more.
Laurent Koscielny: N/A
Replaced early in the match after suffering an injury. He has been rumored to be ruled out of the upcoming World Cup.
Nacho Monreal: 5.5/10
Monreal was busy the whole night on both ends of the pitch. He had opportunities to score after making dangerous runs into the box. On the other hand, there was plenty of defending to be done over at the left flank.
With Atletico Madrid moving fast whenever they have the ball and switch to attacking mode, Monreal hurried back to his position and dealt with the pressure well. The most disappointing things about Monreal's performance was his inability to cross into the box and that gave his opponents plenty of breathing space.
Granit Xhaka: 7/10
Xhaka was influential in the midfield by dictating passes forward whenever he could. He stayed at the back most of the time to protect Arsenal's defenders and tracked the runs of his opponents. He forced Oblak into a fine save in Arsenal's first attempt on target.
Jack Wilshere: 6/10
Wilshere was all around the pitch when his team attacked. He had quite a few ideas on his mind, but he was a little too rash too and that got him a booking in the first half. In the latter half, he was largely ineffective and replaced by Mkhitaryan.
Aaron Ramsey: 7/10
Ramsey was constantly eager to find the ball and some space for him to run. He made a few key passes in the first-half, but they were all futile as Arsenal failed to take the lead. he squandered a huge chance for Arsenal to equalise in the 52nd minute of the match.
Mesut Ozil: 6/10
The German midfielder was extremely quiet in the first half. He had to drop deep to get the ball but could hardly create anything. In the second-half, Ozil contributed a lot more. He could have been more certain of his talents and went for the goal himself instead of trying to lay it for his team-mates.
Danny Welbeck: 6.5/10
Bursting forward with energy in his runs, Welbeck offered a huge physical threat against the Atletico defenders. He performed the role as a distractor most of the time. His crosses delivered were great too but he could have done much better with his chances.
Alexandre Lacazette: 6/10
This time, the French striker could not find the net. It has been reputably hard to score against Atletico Madrid this season and Arsenal's forwards were kept quiet throughout the game. Lacazette never really tested Oblak and was often picked out by defenders before he could do anything with the ball. He should have moved faster with lesser hesitation.
Substitutes:
Calum Chambers: 7.5/10
It was a solid performance from the centre-back. He made a few huge interceptions and blocks. Most importantly, he made a crucial touch to deny Costa from scoring his second goal in the early minutes of the second half. The young English man has a bright future ahead of him.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6.5/10
Mkhitaryan was Wenger's last hope thrown onto the pitch. The Armenian nearly scored the instant he was on, however his shot was overpowered and it went above the crossbar. After coming on, Simeone's side had the majority of the possession. Mkhitaryan could do little with the limited time and space to create anything useful.