Arsenal bowed out of the Europa League after losing Thursday’s second leg 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) to Atletico Madrid.
After a 1-1 draw a week ago in London, former Chelsea striker Diego Costa grabbed the decisive goal just before half-time in Spain as Atletico reached a fifth European final in eight years.
Here are our Arsenal player ratings:
David Ospina 6 – Went to ground too early for Costa’s goal but did little wrong otherwise. Needs to improve his communication skills.
Hector Bellerin 5 – Never stopped running and was his usual energetic self, but was held off far too easily by Costa for Atletico’s opener. Had a poor second half.
Laurent Koscielny N/A – Forced off after just eight minutes with a suspected Achilles tendon injury. His World Cup chances look in doubt.
Shkodran Mustafi 6 – Found Atletico’s pace on the counter hard to deal with. Needs to hold the line instead of playing so deep.
Nacho Monreal 6 – Saw plenty of ball but could not make an impact going forward.
Aaron Ramsey 6 – Most combative Arsenal player and did his best to influence proceedings. Had a real chance to equalise after the break but was blocked down.
Jack Wilshere 6 – Lively enough but things just didn’t click for him on the night. Hauled off after 68 minutes.
Granit Xhaka 6 – Offered little going forward but tracked back well to divert the constant Atletico danger. Had one nice long range effort that Oblak pushed out for a corner.
Mesut Ozil 6 – Carved plenty of chances but didn’t have players in the right positions to force the killer breakthrough.
Alexandre Lacazette 6 – Denied the service he needed to shine, but still worked tirelessly in the channels to provide an outlet.
Danny Welbeck 6 – Failed to provide much pace and impetus from the left side. Should have been taken off early in a bid to rescue the semi-final and the Gunners season.
SUBSTITUTES:
Calum Chambers 7 – Looked comfortable when introduced for Koscielny. Did well to intercept the ball from Costa when a second goal looked on and made a fantastic block on Costa. Arsenal’s best player on the night.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 6 – Had one effort saved by Oblak but did little otherwise.
