Danny Welbeck put Arsenal on the brink of the Europa League knockout stages with a late winner against Sporting Lisbon.
Unai Emery made six changes to his side from the team that beat Leicester City 3-1 on Monday night with Welbeck, Mateo Guendouzi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Aaron Ramsey, Sokratis and Mohamed Elneny coming in.
Arsenal were well below par during the opening 45 minutes but improved after the break and Welbeck capitalised on a mistake from former Liverpool ace Sebastian Coates 15 minutes from time to fire the Gunners ahead.
The Gunners deserved the win on the balance of play and now have a three-point lead over Sporting before they host the Portuguese club in London in a fortnights time.
More importantly, though, was the fact that Arsenal extended their winning run to 11 matches.
Advertisement Advertisement
The Gunners have gone from strength to strength under Emery in recent weeks and few would bet against them making it 12 on the bounce against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
One source of concern may be Stephan Lichtsteiner, who picked up a shoulder injury in the dying stages of the win.
MORE: Dimitar Berbatov defends Romelu Lukaku amid Manchester United struggles
Advertisement Advertisement
Danny Welbeck put Arsenal on the brink of the Europa League knockout stages with a late winner against Sporting Lisbon.
Unai Emery made six changes to his side from the team that beat Leicester City 3-1 on Monday night with Welbeck, Mateo Guendouzi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Aaron Ramsey, Sokratis and Mohamed Elneny coming in.
Arsenal were well below par during the opening 45 minutes but improved after the break and Welbeck capitalised on a mistake from former Liverpool ace Sebastian Coates 15 minutes from time to fire the Gunners ahead.
The Gunners deserved the win on the balance of play and now have a three-point lead over Sporting before they host the Portuguese club in London in a fortnights time.
More importantly, though, was the fact that Arsenal extended their winning run to 11 matches.
Advertisement Advertisement
The Gunners have gone from strength to strength under Emery in recent weeks and few would bet against them making it 12 on the bounce against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
One source of concern may be Stephan Lichtsteiner, who picked up a shoulder injury in the dying stages of the win.
MORE: Dimitar Berbatov defends Romelu Lukaku amid Manchester United struggles
Advertisement Advertisement
