Winners
Sporting CP
Coming away from the first leg without a deficit will feel good but the Portuguese side will arguably be quite gutted they didn’t earn more from the game. Were it not for a freak own goal then they might well have been able to travel to London in the lead.
They’ve learned some valuable lessons about their opponents and their vulnerabilities though. Arsenal conceded from both a set-piece, once again, and on the counterattack, unveiling just what Ruben Amorim’s side might need to do when they visit the Emirates in a week’s time.
Fabio Vieira
I cannot quite get my head around the eagerness for some Arsenal supporters to bash this man. Fabio Vieira was a bright spark for Arsenal throughout the game, consistently demanding the ball in tight spaces, running his socks off to recover the ball and providing a perfect corner for William Saliba to take the lead (who deserves specific credit himself for a very good performance).
READ MORE: Sporting CP vs Arsenal highlights: William Saliba scores in four-goal thriller in Europa last-16
Perhaps it’s the price tag or his lightweight frame which is getting a strange level of focus. He doesn’t need to bulk up to succeed, he just needs to get more consistent game time and further acclimatise to his new club – yet it appears now an uphill battle to remove this unfair stigmatism that has since stuck for a portion of supporters.
Last night Vieira produced the Gunners’ best chance at goal besides the deflected Granit Xhaka shot which earned the equaliser - Gabriel Martinelli's run not ending in a shot and therefore discounted no matter how dramatically brilliant it nearly was. His strike from outside the box went agonisingly close to
Takehiro Tomiyasu
For what was a fairly disastrous first half against Bournemouth, Takehiro Tomiyasu came on against Sporting CP with a point to prove and he did. Until the Japan international came on, the Gunners looked very shaky and vulnerable at the back.
Mikel Arteta deserves credit for taking off Oleksandr Zinchenko because with Tomiyasu’s introduction Arsenal retook control of the game. Having a platform restored the presence at the back and changed the way the Gunners approached the game, and in the end it could inform how Arteta sets up for the second leg.
Losers
Matt Turner
I always want to be complimentary where possible for the clash with Sporting will have only spawned more doubts in Arsenal supporters' minds regarding Matt Turner. His distribution put the side under pressure and ultimately he didn’t deal with Pedro Goncalves' shot well enough to prevent the rebound from falling to Paulinho.
At the World Cup, he was impressive and there’s clearly a good goalkeeper in him. Expecting the second choice to ever be as good as the first is never a realistic aim but with how ruthless Arteta has been, do not be surprised if Aaron Ramsdale starts the second leg.
Jakub Kiwior
As debuts go, it wasn’t the best; but it also gave plenty to discuss. The initial moments under pressure saw good composure and quickness of thought but as the game wore on Kiwior was exposed in behind on numerous occasions.
For the corner, Matt Turner does seem to call for the ball and Kiwior, the new player he is, defers to his goalkeeper. Whilst criticism is difficult to aim, there’s an argument a more confident player deals with it himself but that’s probably harsh, especially considering the call does come.
In short, with Gabriel Magalhaes on Arsenal looked a lot better. This isn’t too surprising.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
For the record, I think what Oleksandr Zinchenko has done for this Arsenal team has directly made them into title challengers, with both his input on the field and his vocal leadership off it. However, tonight showed a game where his presence was contextually a bigger drawback.
There were the typical moments leaving me making "oof" noises at his little fake shots and quick successful take-ons but unfortunately, Sporting exploited his adventurous positioning and until Takehiro Tomiyasu came on the Gunners looked vulnerable. Perhaps in the second leg Tomiyasu should start or, if Zinchenko is deemed imperative, he should be moved into midfield.
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