​Arsenal began their first Europa League campaign under Unai Emery with a comfortable 4-2 victory over Ukrainian outfit Vorskla Poltava on Thursday night. 

A two-goal salvo from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as well as decisive finishes from Danny Welbeck and Mesut Ozil ensured Emery would be able to celebrate his first evening in Europe with Arsenal with a win.

The largely empty Emirates Stadium still produced a decent atmosphere, especially whenever summer signings like Bernd Leno, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Lucas Torreira got on the ball.

After an opening 31 minutes in which Vorskla stood firm and defended well as a team, Arsenal found the breakthrough with their first shot on target, a swift and effective counter attack finished off by the ever dangerous Aubameyang.

After the half-time interval, things spiralled for Vorskla as Welbeck headed home. Arsenal continued to take the sting out of the contest as Aubameyang clinically finished another opportunity, with ​Mesut Ozil coming off the bench to poke home a fourth for the Gunners.

As has been the case all season so far for Emery’s men, they were sloppy at the back and conceded twice late on from avoidable mistakes, much to the displeasure of Spaniard.

​Check out our breakdown of the game below.

ARSENAL

Key Talking Point

The major issue for Arsene Wenger’s successor on Thursday night was the distinct lack of competition from a visiting side that finished third in the Ukrainian Premier League last season.

Anything less than a predicted landslide victory for ​Arsenal could have been embarrassing for the Gunners, but bar the two lapses in concentration at the back it was the clinical display most expected.

Worryingly for Gunners fans, their side have not managed to keep a single clean sheet in any of their competitive fixtures so far this season, a concern that Emery is undoubtedly looking to address as quickly as possible.

Unai Emery asked for control in his press conference after Saturday’s win at Newcastle, and it something he had in abundance of on Thursday night, was exemplary control of the tie. The tireless energy from central midfield pairing Mohamed Elneny and Torreira as well as Alex Iwobi and Welbeck paid dividends as the game wore on.

Additionally, of the brief spells he had in possession, Bernd Leno looked much more assured with his capability on the ball than his goalkeeping adversary Petr Cech. 

Although as previously mentioned, against a side adequately out of their depth at this level and with an average home attendance of 3,000 in Vorskla’s stadium in Poltava, Leno wasn’t put under any kind of pressure to seriously threaten his distribution.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Leno (6), Lichtsteiner (6), Sokratis (7), Holding (6), Monreal (6), Elneny (7), Torreira (7), Mkhitaryan (7), Iwobi (9*), Welbeck (7), ​Aubameyang (8).

Substitutes: Ozil (7), Guendouzi (7), Smith-Rowe (7).

STAR MAN 

Iwobi’s industry and endeavour to prove himself to the Arsenal faithful who have at times been adverse to the young Nigerian’s efforts was phenomenal as he ran the show.

Linking up play and contributing defensively, the nephew of Jay-Jay Okocha put on a beautiful footballing exhibition. His party tricks towards the end of his appearance also kept the crowd involved.

As a number of happy Gunners fans have pointed out, the new manager’s ideas and work ethic have seemingly fallen hand in hand with ​Iwobi, who will be looking to push forward this season and solidify a place in Emery’s first team plans.

WORST PLAYER 

Swiss right back Stephan Lichtsteiner’s error led to Vorskla’s first goal in the game. It was a mistake that may well come from a lack in game time so far this season, with Hector Bellerin still favoured on the right side of Emery’s first XI backline.

However, with the experience that Lichtsteiner has to offer, it would be a safe bet in thinking this type of error will not be a mainstay in his performances.

Looking Ahead

This game was the first of four successive home fixtures in all competitions for Arsenal, with the next fixture being a considerably more difficult test against an Everton side looking to rebound from their first loss of the season against West Ham.

Considering Unai Emery’s well documented and unparalleled Europa League success, Arsenal will be hoping for more of the same in Europe’s perceived B competition, with trips to Qarabag FK and Sporting CP on the horizon for the red side of north London.

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Former Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas ​has given his predictions for the Gunners in their upcoming Thursday Europa League clash against Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava. 
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The Scottish pundit doesn’t evidently believes that Arsenal will struggle to keep a clean sheet against their opponents, but remains optimistic that the side will be able to pull off a narrow win. 

Arsenal are tipped as the hot favourites to win the Europa League clash, while manager Unai Emery is expected to ring the changes, including a start for new goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Speaking to ​Sky Sports, Nicholas said: “I would expect ​Arsenal to be a bit like ​Chelsea; they will want to start the group well and with a win.
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“​I imagine there will be a lot of changes with the likes of Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming in, so it will still be a strong enough team for me to expect Arsenal to win this.
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“​The way Arsenal play they don’t do clean sheets, so I am going to go for a 2-1 win and Mkhitaryan to score first.”

Vorskla Poltava managed a third-placed finish in Ukraine’s top flight last season, though this is their first time in the Europa League group stages since 2011. On the flip side, Arsenal managed to make it to the semi-final last year, disappointingly losing out to Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. 
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​The Gunners will be hoping Nicholas’ comments ring true, as Unai Emery has already hailed the European competition the “most important” after the ​Champions League and it may well be their best chance at silverware in 2018/19.

Arsenal’s clash kicks off at 8pm on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium.

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​Mesut Ozil’s agent Erkut Sogut has finally broken his silence and has spoken out against the criticism his player received in the wake of his international retirement, specifically calling out star trio Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos.

​Arsenal midfielder Ozil announced his retirement from international football after Germany’s dreadful defence of their World Cup trophy this summer, citing ‘racism and disrespect’ as the reasons for making this decision.

A number of former national teammates criticised both the decision and statement but his agent has described German captain Neuer, forward Muller and midfielder Kroos as ‘naive or scheming’.

​​Sogut, speaking to German magazine 11Freuende (quoted by ​Mail Onine), said: ‘Neuer indirectly accused Mesut of not having worn the German jersey with pride. This is unacceptable.

“Muller did not understand the whole discussion. And Kroos, as a seasoned national team player, should explain what he means by ‘nonsense.'”

The agent went on to add that the remarks by the trio were “more than disappointing – and also out of place. There are only two explanations: they are either naive or scheming.”

It is the first time Ozil’s agent has spoken publicly on the matter since the photo with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was taken back in May.

The playmaker and ​Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan found themselves entangled in controversy following the photo with Erdogan, with the pair subsequently booed by their home fans and lambasted by German media outlets.

After their early World Cup exit, Ozil released a statement in which he announced his retirement from international football, and accused the German Football Association of racism due to his Turkish roots. 

While there was support for Ozil’s statement, a number of German internationals hit out at the Arsenal attacker’s comments. 

​Real Madrid midfielder Kroos told German newspaper Bild: “Basically Mesut is a deserved international and as a player he deserved a better departure. But the way he resigned was not in order.

”I think he knows very well that racism within the national team and the DFB does not exist.”

Other players and international manager Joachim Low agreed that there was no racism within the team, and, in defence of the Gunners player, highlighted Ozil in pinpointing the football association and wider society, rather than his teammates.

Sogut however added: “Low defends himself against an accusation that has never actually been made: Mesut has not been racially abused from within the team but from the midst of German society. The German football association should have been more protective in this case.”

The agent has also defended his client’s photo with Erdogan, reiterating that it was a matter of respect and adding that there was no discussion with him about whether to meet the president or not.

“Mesut did not make any mistakes. It is just a matter of respect and courtesy to agree to meet the president of Turkey when he requests it. The two of them have met regularly over the past eight years. It has never been a problem before for the German public.

“Should we tell Mesut: ‘You cannot meet with the president – but maybe in two months’ time?’ That really does not make any sense.

“Why should I [stop him meeting the president]? Mesut is old enough, he knows what he is doing. And he has known the president far longer than he knows me.”

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