Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Benfica in the first leg of their last-32 Europa League tie as the Portuguese side proved stubborn opposition.
Simon Collings ran the rule over the Arsenal players...
Arsenal player ratings
Bernd Leno 6
Had very little to do during the match, other than pick the ball out of his net after Benfica scored their penalty.
Hector Bellerin 6
Wasn’t really troubled defensively, but failed to make the impact going forward he would have liked to.
David Luiz 7
A calm and composed performance from the Brazilian, who has bounced back since his red card at Wolves. Dealt with Benfica striker Darwin Nunez well.
Gabriel Magalhaes 7
Beginning to look back to his best and the player he was at the start of the season. Confident performance in the heart of defence.
Cedric Soares 6
Another solid performance from the Portugal international. Played just over 60 minutes and barely put a foot wrong. Taken off so Tierney could make his comeback.
Dani Ceballos 7
Enjoyed plenty of possession as Arsenal dominated the play. Linked up nicely with Odegaard, who he seems to have a good understanding with.
Granit Xhaka 6
Not at the heights he has been previously, but still solid enough. Only real mistake came before half-time when his stray pass setup a Benfica chance.
The teenager just continues to deliver week in, week out. Another goal here and he has now struck fives times since Boxing Day.
Martin Odegaard 8 | Star man
Arsenal’s best player on the night. Played a couple of brilliant passes and looks a real talent. Getting up to speed quickly given lack of games.
Emile Smith Rowe 6
Few nice moments but not at his usual best. Will have been disappointed to have given away the penalty too with a handball.
Just not the captain’s night, which was odd given his hat-trick against Leeds. He should have had another one here, missed three great chances.
Substitutes
Kieran Tierney (Cedric 64’) 6
Made his first appearance since the middle of last month and had a few nice forays forward.
Nicolas Pepe (Aubameyang 77’) N/A
Gabriel Martinelli (Smith Rowe 77’) N/A
Mohamed Elneny (Ceballos 90’) N/A
Willian (Odegaard 90’) N/A
Subs not used: Hein, Ryan, Holding, Mari, Chambers, Nketiah, Lacazette.
