Arsene Wenger’s hopes of a fairy tale end to his Arsenal tenure came to an end as his team were beaten 1-0 by Atletico Madrid in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Diego Costa capitalised on a lapse in concentration from Hector Bellerin to score the only goal of the game moments before half-time as the Spanish outfit won the semi-final 2-1 on aggregate.
Sportsmail’s SAMI MOKBEL was at the Wanda Metropolitano to provide his player ratings…
A
ARSENAL (4-3-2-1)
David Ospina – 6
Arsenal’s defence look a bag of nerves when he plays. Why not start Petr Cech?
Hector Bellerin – 5.5
Found himself in promising positions but his final ball was utterly disappointing.
Shkodran Mustafi – 6
Had to take on the mantle of Arsenal’s lead centre-back but struggled to contain Costa. Booked.
Laurent Koscielny – 5
Heartbreaking night for the skipper after he was stretchered off. His World Cup hopes must be in tatters.
Nacho Monreal – 6
Always gives everything but Arsenal need an upgrade this summer. Booked.
Aaron Ramsey – 6.5
Drove the team forward with some piercing runs but couldn’t produce the final pass.
Granit Xhaka – 5.5
Too slow in possession. The pace of Arsenal’s game drops unnecessarily when he’s on the ball.
Jack Wilshere – 7
Took the armband after Koscielny’s injury and led by example before being subbed. Booked.
Danny Welbeck – 6.5
Phenomenal work-rate from the England star but couldn’t influence the game in the attacking third.
Mesut Ozil – 6.5
Found plenty of space to create havoc but lacked a cutting edge.
Alexandre Lacazette – 6.5
Buzzed around but squandered a glorious opening due to a heavy touch.
Subs: Chambers 6.5 (Koscieny 11); Mkhitaryan 6 (Wilshere 68)
Subs not used: Cech, Iwobi, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Nketiah.
Arsene Wenger – 6.5
Couldn’t go out on a high but the players gave everything for their outgoing manager. 6.5
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2)
Jan Oblak – 6.5
Very busy in last week’s first-leg, not so much here as Arsenal toiled in attack.
Thomas Partey – 7
Showed his versatility starting at right-back and went close with a spectacular long-range volley.
Jose Maria Gimenez – 7.5
Mature beyond his 23 years. Solid in the tackle, effortless in possession.
Diego Godin – 7.5
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Hard as nails.
Lucas Hernandez – 6.5
Solid enough but caught out of position on more than one occasion.
Koke – 7
Boundless energy down the right. Typifies Simeone’s disciplined philosophy.
Saul Niguez – 6.5
Classy footballer but didn’t have things his own way in midfield. Booked
Gabi – 6.5
Controlled the pace of the game for his team, but found it hard going at times. Booked.
Vitolo – 5.5
A new addition from the team that started last week but couldn’t make a telling impact.
Diego Costa – 8
He had to didn’t he? Arsenal’s tormentor in chief tyrannised them again. Booked.
Antoine Griezmann – 7.5
Cracking pass to set up Costa’s opener. Obvious ability with exceptional work-rate to boot.
Subs: Correa (Vitolo 74); Torres (Costa 83); Savic (Partey 90)
Subs not used: Werner, Luis, Gamiero, Olabe
Diego Simeone – 7
Not on the touchline but his team embodied everything the Argentine stands for.