Arsenal impressively swept aside Slavia Prague to reach the Europa League semi-finals with a fine away victory in the second leg.
The night had potential to be a nervy affair with the tie evenly poised at 1-1, but the Gunners produced one of their best performances of the campaign to keep alive their hopes of European qualification for next season.
Into the semi-final! ????
⚪ 0-4 ???? (FT) | (1-5 agg)
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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 15, 2021
They scored three goals in the opening 24 minutes and had another ruled out by the video assistant referee – all-but ending the contest in the opening period.
Nicolas Pepe squeezed home at the near post to open the scoring in the 18th minute before Alexandre Lacazette converted a penalty three minutes later following a foul on Bukayo Saka.
Saka coolly swept in the third as Arsenal tore their Czech opponents apart once more.
Mikel Arteta’s side controlled the game expertly thereafter and Lacazette smashed his second low into the net in the latter stages.
The Gunners will face Villarreal – managed by former Arsenal boss Unai Emery – in the last four.
This was Arsenal’s biggest game remaining this season
With a Europa League win in May, their only realistic way of securing Champions League football next season given their league position.
Had they lost, their campaign would have effectively been over. Instead they breathed life into its final two months.
Their wastefulness in the first leg left the tie in the balance but in Prague, where their hosts had not lost for more than a year, they were supremely clinical.
Spurred on by the guile and energy of Emile Smith Rowe, they scored three goals from five first-half shots – doing so without their captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who revealed shortly before kick-off he has contracted malaria.
Slavia had already knocked Leicester and Rangers out of this year’s competition but at half-time they resorted to substituting four key players, seemingly an acceptance the tie was over.
It is 25 years since Arsenal failed to qualify for Europe and this win ensured they can extend that run.
A meeting with Emery, who took Arsenal to the Europa League final in 2019 and won the tournament three times as manager of Sevilla, awaits.
