Nicolas Pepe and Mikel Agu played key roles in Vitoria Guimaraes’ 1-1 draw with Arsenal in Wednesday’s Europa League game.
Ivory Coast winger Pepe set up Shkodran Mustafi for the Gunners’ goal in the 80th minute before a late effort from Bruno Duarte denied the Premier League club maximum points at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques.
Nigeria international Agu, who was afforded his fifth appearance in the tournament this season, was one of the standout players.
The 26-year-old midfielder had a 95% pass success rate and one tackle to help his Portuguese club avoid defeat against Unai Emery’s men.
With the draw, Arsenal strengthened their position at the top of Group F with 10 points from four games while Vitoria remain at the bottom of the group with one point.
The Gunners take on Eintracht Frankfurt in their next fixture in the tournament while the Vo Vieira’s men host Standard Liege on November 28.
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Arsenal fail to hold lead again
Arsenal manager Unai Emery made eight changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday, including handing the captain’s armband to defender Rob Holding with former skipper Xhaka not part of the squad.
The Switzerland captain was stripped of the captaincy following an angry confrontation with home fans during the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on 27 October.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who will take over as club captain from Xhaka, and German midfielder Mesut Özil also did not travel to Portugal.
Emery opted for a change in formation with a defensive back three of Holding, Sokratis and goalscorer Mustafi, with youngsters Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Kieran Tierney adding an attacking threat as wing-backs.
But for the second time in a week the Gunners were punished late on and failed to take all three points.
In a match played in torrential rain, the first half was largely uneventful with Vitoria showing early warning signs when their midfielder Pepe hit the post with a long-range effort and Edwards forced a good save from Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez was again called into action minutes later when a Vitoria free-kick found the unmarked Edmond Tapsoba but the centre-back’s flicked header was palmed away.
Vitoria keeper Douglas was not tested in the opening 45 minutes as the Gunners failed to register a shot on target despite dominating possession.
Arsenal’s best chance of the first half fell to Holding after clever play down the left-hand side by 18-year-old Bukayo Saka. The skipper for the match was unchallenged as he rose to meet the cross but his header went over the bar.
In the second half the Gunners began to take control and were rewarded on 80 minutes thanks to Mustafi’s header from a free-kick by Pepe, who scored twice from set-pieces against Vitoria in the final 10 minutes at Emirates Stadium two weeks ago to give his side a 3-2 win.
Another victory looked to have been sealed here but Arsenal’s defensive frailties were exposed in stoppage time as Vitoria found a late surge of tempo to put the Gunners under pressure and find an equaliser, earning them their first point in the Europa League this season.
