Mikel Arteta accepted a 2-1 defeat was the best outcome Arsenal could have hoped for after a performance of two vastly contrasting halves against Villarreal on Thursday. (More Football News)
The Spanish side will take a slender lead into the second leg of the Europa League semi-final next week, though the margin between the teams could have been far greater at the halfway stage of the contest.
Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol scored as Unai Emery's side threatened to overrun his former employers in the first half, yet the Gunners came out a different side after the바카라 웹사이트interval.
Despite the dismissal of Dani Ceballos, Bukayo Saka won a penalty that Nicolas Pepe converted to cut the deficit in the 73rd minute.
Villarreal then had바카라 웹사이트Etienne Capoue dismissed before the바카라 웹사이트returning바카라 웹사이트Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a chance to equalise in added time, only to be denied by home goalkeeper바카라 웹사이트Geronimo Rulli.
"We didn't바카라 웹사이트want to come here and lose, but after the way the game developed, and being 2-0 down with 10 men, you have to take the result," Arteta told BT Sport.
"If you have to lose, this바카라 웹사이트is the best result that we could have. But two different halves."
Asked what had led to the change in his team after the break,바카라 웹사이트he replied: "We started to be us. In the first half, there were so many moments when we weren't us.
"We were disorganised, we started to chase, were not precise enough with the ball nor바카라 웹사이트occupying the right spaces,바카라 웹사이트we didn't바카라 웹사이트have enough control.
"We didn't바카라 웹사이트carry enough threat, or have the right desire to attack the opponents'바카라 웹사이트box. In the second half it was completely different."
Arsenal were indebted to a fine save from goalkeeper Bernd Leno when the score was at 2-0, the German denying Gerard Moreno.
So, while Emery바카라 웹사이트became the first ex-Arsenal boss to beat the Gunners since바카라 웹사이트George Graham's바카라 웹사이트Tottenham side won 2-1 at White Hart Lane바카라 웹사이트in November 1999, the tie is firmly in the balance ahead of the second leg at Emirates Stadium.
Villarreal have progressed from 15 of their 16 two-legged ties in major European competitions when winning the first leg – the only exception coming바카라 웹사이트in the 2015-16바카라 웹사이트Europa League semi-final, when they went out to Liverpool despite winning the first meeting.
On Leno's save from Moreno, Arteta said: "He was very good when we needed him at 2-0. The chance with Gerard is probably the biggest one they had.
"He saved us, but then at the end we had a big chance with Auba and we weren't able to get it in."
