- Arsenal have been eliminated from the Europa League after a penalty defeat by Sporting Lisbon
- After a solid performance in the first leg, St Juste were again super for the visitors
- But this may not be the worst result for Arsenal in their Premier League title run
Arsenal’s Europa League campaign came to an end on Thursday evening as Sporting Lisbon defeated a thrilling penalty shootout to progress to the quarter-finals.
After a 2-2 draw in last week’s first leg, Granit Xhaka shot the Gunners ahead 19 minutes in their last-16 decider at The Emirates before Pedro Goncalves equalized for the visitors with a sensational long-range effort 17 minutes after the break.
The tie eventually ended in penalties and after seven perfect attempts, Gabriel Martinelli missed what turned out to be the decisive penalty, allowing Nuno Santos to stroke home the winner.
Here, Sportsmail’s LEWIS STEELE takes a look at what you may have missed from the game.
European slap can be a blessing in disguise for Gunners
At what point in the season did Arsenal and Mikel Arteta begin to see the Europa League as a barrier to their Premier League title push? Perhaps this loss is seen as a positive.
There has been a long-standing debate over whether progress in cup competitions can inspire confidence and build winning DNA for the team, or whether they are ultimately detrimental.
With two key Arsenal players limping in the first half and Gabriel Jesus not returning for the second period, there was a definite leaning towards the latter argument.
This was a blood-curdling night for the Gunners regardless of the outcome, especially considering the injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba.
Win and they would have two more Thursday night games to squeeze into a packed schedule. But this loss could put a huge dent in confidence in their title tilt. They were second best.
Sporting lights up the streets of North London
One of the best features of European club football is seeing the clash of cultures, both tactically on the pitch and especially on the street before the match.
Sports fans marched in from Highbury and Islington, creating a carnival atmosphere, with a cacophony of noise and an array of bright colours.
The end resembled a sea of green and white and how they celebrated Pedro Goncalves’ equalizer and winning penalty, each of them jumping up and down in euphoria.
This was a pleasant night by North London standards, but compared to Lisbon, the weather was gloomy. Sports fans didn’t care as many took off their shirts and waved them up.
The chant of the evening, however, goes to those in the Clock End who chanted ‘Like Benfica, we’re top of the league’, mocking Sporting’s 10-point deficit to their city rivals.
Kim K in the house
Welcome to the weekly edition of unexpected guests at Arsenal matches. On Sunday, Mick Jagger sat contentedly by the River Thames as the Gunners raced past Fulham.
On Thursday night, Kim Kardashian was in the building with her son Saint West and the reality TV star posted photos of her at the stadium with a few bottles of Prime energy drink.
Obviously, Kardashian, who has broken up with Saint’s father Kanye, was filming a documentary. Even a boring first half is better watching than Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
simply brilliant
You must have seen the video clip of the first leg of Sporting defender Jeremiah St Juste making one of the best recovery tackles ever after a fantastic sprint.
He continued to show this pace here, thwarting Gabriel Martinelli early in extra time. But apart from his lightning pace, which is rare for a defender, the Dutchman looks like a solid talent.
He was thwarted by injury in a stop-start career, but he seems settled in Ruben Amorim’s back three and has been the catalyst in starting many attacks.
St Juste also penetrated Arsenal’s midfield with blistering runs and dealt with the Gunners’ front three in what could have been a tricky night.
Emirates witnesses the first shooting
Statistics of the night. It was October 2003, the last time Arsenal had a penalty shoot-out in a home game, at the old Highbury Stadium.