Thursday's Europa League encounter between Unai Emery's Arsenal and Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Emirate stadium witnessed some interesting and unexpected Curves, as the Gunners had to depend on the magic of their record signing Nicolas Pepe to grab the entire points of the night. Personally, I wasn't expecting the match to be that tough for Arsenal, for me, it was meant to be a walk in the park for the home team, having showed signs of Europa League form from their previous encounters. With the visitors taking the lead just after 9 minutes into play, I could smell uncertainty and perhaps a more tasking job for Emery than I predicted. Though Arsenal had seem like they will navigate themselves back into the game and take control of proceedings when G. Martinelli equalised at the 32nd minute to make the scoreline 1-1. That goal was a big relief for an embattled Emery who is under pressure not to lose to the visitors, at Least not at Emirates.
Things took a different turn and the intensity of the match grew with every minute on the clock. A game many thought would be a rollercoaster ride for Arsenal was turning out to become a game that Emery's managerial wit had to be stretched beyond his expectations. Vitoria were aware that Arsenal will downplay them, of course the complacency that brings down favorite teams when they come against perceived underdogs was hovering over Arsenal. For the visitors, it was an opportunity they could turn to their advantage and take Arsenal by the storm. Slowly they plotted their moves and knew when to strike. It didn't take long after Arsenal levelled up the score, the visitors struck again at the 37th minute to reclaim the lead, thanks to B. Duarte's goal. Vitoria's second goal sent chilly breeze across the Emirate Stadium and it was now clear that Arsenal had a mountain to climb if they must keep their hope of qualifying to the next phase of the competition alive.
With the home team unable to level up the score before the halftime whistle, more pressure mounted on Emery who had refused to use Mesut Ozil despite the German's midfield prowess. I could hear the home fans booing Arsenal after the first half and some clamouring for Ozil to be used. First half ended 1-2 with Vitoria leading, a scoreline not so many saw coming. With the second half having started with no sign of Arsenal turning water into wine, I could see the fear on Emery's facial expression. The fans were beginning to grow cold as we approached the last ten minutes of the game. But in a night like this, the genius of a player is always what it takes to salvage a shipwreck. For Nicolas Pepe, there couldn't have been a better night to justify the jumbo sum Arsenal spent in bringing him to the Emirate stadium. What a night to be the reason why your coach is the most relieved manager in North London, Emery would be in a better position to say how he felt after the game. Nicolas Pepe is what we literary describe as "deus ex machina." According to the Mariam Webster's dictionary, the word is said to mean "a character or thing that suddenly enters the story in a novel, play, movie, etc., and solves a problem that had previously seemed impossible to solve." Pepe came in during the second half to score two wonderful free-kicks and secure a victory for not Arsenal but the under fire Unai Emery.
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