Arsenal came in to the game having played their previous Europa League tie in the last four against Atletico Madrid. The Ukranian opponents facing them are nowhere near the quality of Griezmann and Costa, but that didn't mean they had an easy start to the game.
The first 20 minutes of the encounter were as many had predicted, with the home side having the lion's share of possession and Vorskla defending deeply and resolutely in their own half.
The deadlock was eventually broken 13 minutes before the break. Henrikh Mkhitarayan picked up the ball after a loose pass from Vorskla and fed Alex Iwobi through. The Nigerian international continued in to the opposition half and played through an inch-perfect through ball to Aubameyang, who finished low in to the bottom left corner of the net to put an end to a ruthless counter-attack.
Scoring gave Emery's men a huge boost, as they had multiple chances before the break to extend their lead. Henrikh Mkhitaryan drew a good save from Vorskla's Shust, and the away side were ultimately lucky to go in at the break still in the game.
The 'Gunners' came out firing again in the second half, as Danny Welbeck nodded in a smart cross from play-maker Mkhitaryan, before Aubameyang managed to get his second of the evening by slotting home with a shot so accurate and powerful from outside the box that the keeper didn't even make a dive to stop it.
At three the pace slowed slightly. before Aubameyang's replacement Mesut Ozil managed to get in on the act. Defender Sokratis played in a clever ball to Stephan Lichsteiner down the right flank, who clipped the ball to the back post where the German was waiting to tap in the goal.
The Ukranian side were down but not out of the contest, as they struck back just three minutes after when their captain made the most of some scrappy defending from a free-kick, to knick the ball off an Arsenal man and rifle the ball in to the top corner past debutant Bernd Leno.
The home side managed to slow the pace of the game as it entered the final stages, but that did not stop them from conceding another goal.
While the first goal of the game came from an impressive counter-attack, so did the last as Rebenok was fed down the left flank.
The winger managed to find Vyacheslav Sharpar who was making a run from midfield, who lashed the ball in to the top corner with literally the last kick of the game.
While the away side lost, the Vorskla fans were visibly thrilled with the effort that their players had made against such prestigious opposition, and will continue their 'nothing to lose' attitude as the group stages continue.
Unai Emery will have mixed feelings after the game, as his team showed some impressive attacking fluidity after their slow start, as well as Aubameyang and in particular Alex Iwobi showing excellent form, but they conceded yet again to mean that they have still not kept a clean sheet this season.
September 20, 2018