London: Unai Emery warned Arsenal to expect a strong response from Napoli after his side seized the initiative with a 2-0 win in their Europa League quarter-final first leg Thursday.
Emery’s men took control of the tie with a dominant first-half performance at the Emirates Stadium.
Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring with a cool finish to cap a flowing move and the Gunners were further ahead before half-time when Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly deflected Lucas Torreira’s shot into his own net.
Arsenal couldn’t add to the lead after the break, but they had done enough to put themselves in pole position ahead of the second leg in Naples April 18.
With Arsenal sitting fifth in the Premier League after Sunday’s damaging defeat at Everton, the Gunners can no longer rely on their domestic fortunes to qualify for the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso’s header four minutes from time gave Chelsea the edge over hardworking Slavia Prague with a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal in Prague, Thursday.
The Spanish left-back capitalised on a fine cross by Brazilian winger Willian, the tireless mastermind of Chelsea’s attack on a chilly night.
AFP