Arsenal dispatched Leverkusen 2-0 at the Emirates to advance to the Champions League Quarterfinal. The Gunners will face Sporting CP, who overturned a 3-0 first leg deficit against Bodo/Glimt with a 5-0 win. Arsenal’s scoreline wasn’t as gaudy, but the performance was comprehensive. Mikel Arteta’s side controlled the match from beginning to end and were deserving winners.
The Gunners made Leverkusen, who were so well-organized and composed with the ball in the first leg, look disjointed and frantic.
Arsenal’s athleticism, organization, and pressure had Leverkusen at 6’s and 7’s (6-7 mentioned). The visitors treated the ball as if it was a live grenade — nobody wanted to hold onto it, slow the pace down, and pick a pass. The result was a bevy of turnovers in the defensive and middle third that allowed Arsenal to dominate possession. When the Gunners didn’t have the ball, they kept Leverkusen out of dangerous areas apart from one excellent chance as the clock neared 90’ that forced a magnificent save from David Raya.
The Arsenal attack played well, firing 12 shots on target, the most for the club in any competition this season. If it wasn’t for keeper Janis Blaswich, the visitors might have been out of it early. The breakthrough came in the 36th minute courtesy of a goal-of-the-season candidate from Ebere Eze — an instinctual, spinning, postage stamp volley that was as breathtaking as it was technically perfect. You cannot hit a ball any sweeter.
Declan Rice put the match out of reach in the 63rd minute. Rice’s goal wasn’t quite as visually stunning, but it was brilliant in it’s own right. The midfielder pounced on a loose ball created by Arsenal forcing the Leverkusen defense into a mistake. And had his curled shot been any closer to the post, it would have glanced off it on the way into the net.
Arsenal cruised home from 2-0 up and even squandered a handful of chances to extend their lead. The more important part is they did not allow Leverkusen a route back into the match. Other than the late, late chance mentioned above, the defense smothered the game over the line. That chance, brilliantly kept out by David Raya anyway, came far too late for Leverkusen to build from it. You know how teams chasing a match get a bit of an attacking flurry, generate some momentum, and it feels like a goal might be coming? There wasn’t any of that. The Arsenal defense (and midfield in front of them) repeatedly rebuffed any foray forward.
Viktor Gyokeres had an excellent match, one of his best in an Arsenal uniform. He seems to have found a nice pocket of form at just the right time. Ebere Eze continued his purple patch play, too. Leandro Trossard looked solid in his return from a hip issue. The Belgian was denied an early goal by a smart kick save and nearly curled a stunner of his own into the top corner minutes into the second half. Declan Rice was everywhere. Martin Zubimendi, who while still solid, has had a wobble or two, was back to his normal, metronome-like consistency — I think the recent rest has done him a world of good. With Ben White playing behind him, Bukayo Saka looked more threatening.
Arsenal’s performance has me wondering why any of us were at all nervous about something wonky happening. They were that good. The real run-in starts this weekend — against Manchester City at Wembley in a cup final.
