Standard Liege 2-2 Arsenal: 5 Hits and Flops from the game | UEFA Europa League 2019-20
Arsenal secured their place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League after a 2-2 draw against Standard Liege at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Belgium on Thursday evening.
Second-half strikes from Samuel Bastien and Selim Amallah saw Standard Liege go 2-0 up but the Gunners made up for the deficit with goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka, who each scored a goal ten minutes before time.
Arsenal now head into the next stage of the European competition as winners of Group F after Eintracht Frankfurt conceded two late goals to bottom side Vitória at the Commerzbank Arena on the same night.
Arsenal had previously gone nine consecutive games without a win in all competitions, drawing against Vitoria and losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in their recent Europa League meetings.
The side now appear to be riding high on momentum after interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg secured his first win as manager against West Ham United last weekend. However, they will hope to improve upon their performance as they prepare for a difficult test against Manchester City this Sunday.
Without further ado, here's a look at thfive hits and flops from the Gunners' comeback against Standard Liege:
#1 Flop: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Within the young squad Ljungberg fielded against Standard Liege, Ainsley Maitland-Niles was one of the more experienced players, but it certainly didn't show on the pitch. The midfielder was woeful in a position that he has been yearning for after continually being used as a plug-in for the team's defensive absences under Unai Emery.
The Hale End Academy graduate has frequently been criticised for his lack of skill and creativity at right wing-back, and his display this evening showed that he needs to play further up the pitch.
The 22-year-old was largely invisible whenever he was required to receive the ball in the middle of the park, almost refusing to move forward to participate in the attacking play. Emile Smith-Rowe's square pass in the first half of the game served as a perfect example of Maitland-Niles' poor display and he was simply lucky that the hosts never took advantage of his errors throughout the game.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers