SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 16 Arsenal put Valencia on back foot Emery cautious as Lacazette,• Aubameyang double edge Arsenal towards Europa League final KNOW WHAT A brace from Alexandre Lacazette• and a late Pierre- A run of three straight Emerick Aubameyang volley Premier League defeats has left Emery’s men need- gave Arsenal a 3-1 win over ing more favours from Valencia in the first leg of their Chelsea or Tottenham to Europa League semi-final stand any chance of Cham- pions League qualification AFP | London via a top-four Premier League finish rsenal manager Unai Emery in- sisted his side’s Europa League Asemi-final against Valencia is “We played against two strikers that still “50-50” despite the Gunners taking are very good which is why they cost a 3-1 first leg lead to Spain. the millions that they did. With the Valencia’s bright start at the Emir- slightest error they punish you.” ates on Thursday was rewarded with Lacazette missed two glorious op- Mouctar Diakhaby’s away goal. portunities to complete his hat-trick But Alexandre Lacazette quick- as he firstly failed to connect with an ly turned the game around with two inch-perfect Aubameyang cross before goals in eight first-half minutes before Alexandre Lacazette scores his and Arsenal’s second goal Neto made a brilliant save at his near Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s late post to keep the Spanish side in the tie. strike gave Arsenal a two-goal advan- the guarantee of Champions League top-four Premier League finish. moment of magic from Arsenal’s two At the other end Petr Cech also had to tage to defend at the Mestalla on May 9. qualification for next season that win- The Gunners had conceded three prolific strikers. make a smart stop as he raced from his However, Emery, who managed Va- ning the Europa League would bring. times in all three of those defeats to Lacazette played in Aubameyang and goal to deny substitute Kevin Gameiro. lencia between 2008 and 2012, knows “We want to win the Europa League Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester the Gabon international left his marker The veteran stopper has announced the tie is far from over due to Arsenal’s to go straight to the Champions League and the same defensive deficiencies and Valencia goalkeeper Neto on the he will retire at the end of the season. terrible away record this season. but also to win a trophy,” said Lacazette. cost them again early on. ground before squaring for his strike And Cech’s final game could well be “It is a good result at home, but the “We want to finish in the top four in Valencia had already missed a glo- partner to roll into an empty net. against his former club Chelsea in next second leg is going to be very difficult the Premier League and if we can go to rious chance to take the lead when Seven minutes later, Arsenal led as month’s final as the Blues secured a 1-1 and maybe different. I consider for both Baku (for the Europa League final) it Ezequiel Garay blazed over before Di- terrible defending allowed Lacazette a draw away at Eintracht Frankfurt in the teams it is 50-50,” said Emery. will be special.” akhaby forced the ball home at the free header from Granit Xhaka’s cross first leg of the other semi-final. “We can be proud of the players. It is A run of three straight Premier back post for the vital away goal on 11 and a weak hand from Neto could not Arsenal still have work to do, but not easy to be calm and come back with League defeats has left Emery’s men minutes. prevent the ball crossing the line. they moved much closer to booking that result against this team.” needing more favours from Chelsea Emery has been reticent to start “We had the game completely in con- their trip to Baku when Aubameyang Arsenal are desperate not just for or Tottenham to stand any chance of Lacazette and Aubameyang together trol until their first goal,” lamented turned home at the back post in the silverware in Emery’s first season but Champions League qualification via a up front, but the game turned on one Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. final minute. Solsjkaer to stick with struggling De Gea Liverpool’s Keita out AFP | Manchester training well this week and he by a recent run of just two wins for the season will play.” in their past 10 matches in all anchester United man- competitions. AFP | London day’s Champions Mager Ole Gunnar Solsj- ‘David has my confidence’ “We haven’t scored enough League semi-final kaer has insisted that David Solskjaer, a former United of the chances we have created, iverpool midfielder first leg. De Gea will retain his place for striker, gave De Gea a vote but that happens,” Solskjaer, LNaby Keita will miss the “Bad news, a Sunday’s trip to Huddersfield of confidence by adding: “Of who replaced he sacked Jose rest of the season with an high-grade adductor despite the goalkeeper’s recent course I trust him. He has been Mourinho earlier this season, adductor injury that injury with the ten- errors. fantastic this season. said. is set to sideline don rupture so it Solskjaer said yesterday that “Towards the end of the sea- “At the beginning, when I the Guinea inter- keeps him out the Spain international has son, he’s been in headlines for came in, we were more effi - national for two for at least two been “fan- the wrong reasons but he has to cient in terms of scoring chanc- months, man- months,” said tastic” for deal with that. The goalkeep- es created. ager Jurgen Klopp of Keita, United ing department are a fantastic “And the other side of it was Klopp said who will now this sea- group. They are such a tight- that David was unbelievable yesterday. miss Saturday’s son, even knit group. at the other end, and when we Kei- trip to New - though he “They have experienced bet- had a few chances against us at ta limped castle, as well has not kept a ter times than just now but Da- the other end, we didn’t con- off midway as home games clean sheet for 13 vid is ready for Sunday. David’s cede goals. through the first against Barcelona matches. confident, and he is looking “Now that has maybe half of Liverpool’s and Wolves -- Liver- Sergio Romero, De Gea’s forward to the next few games. changed for us a bit. The mar- 3-0 loss to Barcelo- pool’s last match of deputy, is not available for the He wants to prove what a good gins and details are maybe go- na at the Camp Nou the Premier League Huddersfield match after suf- goalkeeper he is. With the per- ing against us. We need to look during Wednes- season. fering a knee injury in training formances he has put in over behind the results,” Solskjaer Naby Keita on Thursday. the past few years, David has insisted. “It’s not been so up A De Gea mistake led to the got all my confidence.” and down. goal that allowed Chelsea to However, asked if Romero “As a team and as a striker, gain a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford might have started had he been you’re always facing the little PSG’s Mbappe slapped last Sunday, with the goalkeep- fit, Solskjaer said: “It’s ifs and margins there,” the former for- er spilling Antonio Rudiger’s buts and hypothetical ques- ward explained. with three match ban shot, giving Marcos Alonso tions. Sergio knows how highly “We’ve been working the chance to score with the I rate him.” on creating chances AFP | Paris Neymar for striking a Rennes rebound. Meanwhile Solskjaer ac- and scoring.” fan following the shock defeat Failure to win that match knowledged United’s goalscor- France forward An- rench World Cup winner on penalties after extra time. has severely damaged United’s ing record had to improve if thony Martial has FKylian Mbappe was banned Mbappe, PSG’s gifted 20-year- chances of securing the top- they are stand any chance of also gone six for three matches yesterday old striker, lunged with his four finish they need to qualify climbing the table before the games with- following his sending-off studs into the knee of Rennes for next season’s Champions season draws to a close. out scoring, for a reckless tackle dur- defender Damien Da Silva near League; they are currently in Marcus Rashford has gone and has ing Paris Saint-Germain’s close of extra time on Sunday. sixth position, three points six games without scoring, faced French Cup final deba- Having already missed one behind fourth-placed Chelsea while fellow forward Romelu criticism cle against Rennes. game, Mbappe will miss Satur- with two games to play. Lukaku has not found the net for his The French football day’s match against Nice and David De Gea “He will play,” Solskjaer in eight matches. performanc- Federation (FFF) said the trip to Angers the follow- said of De Gea. “Sergio was But he said the quality of es since he signed they had also opened ing week but will be available injured yesterday (Thursday) United’s performances has not a five-year con- disciplinary proceedings for the last two games of the and didn’t train. David’s been dipped as much as suggested tract in January.