Friday, 17 April 2009
Gunners outclass 10-man Villarreal 3-0
Arsenal sets up an all-English semifinal against Man United after crushing Villarreal 3-0 in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg. Theo Walcott put the Gunners ahead with a superb chip over goalkeeper Diego Lopez after 10 minutes at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor doubled the lead by delivering a knockout blow on the hour. Dutchman Robin van Persie calmly converted a penalty nine minutes later after a foul on Walcott to underline the north Londoners' superiority in the game. Disappointing Villarreal played the last 21 minutes with 10 men after the referee sent Sebastian Eguren off for arguing over the penalty decision for his second yellow card. "We sent out a very offensive team and we played in a convincing way. I was very impressed with the quality and speed of our game," Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said. "Villarreal have a good technical level but we gave them problems they didn't like. We were very explosive on the counter-attack," he added. "It is a test to play United next but a challenge you relish and we are excited about that." Villarreal manager Manuel Pellegrini, however, expressed disappointment over his men's performance in the game. "They were better than us. The second goal made it very difficult to come back, although we still had a chance," Pellegrini said. "I am disappointed. We wanted to get through to the semi-finals but they were better than us even before the sending off, so we have no complaints," he explained. The Gunners will now clash with reigning European champions Manchester United in a semifinal match after Sir Alex Ferguson's side beat Porto 1-0 on Wednesday and 3-2 on aggregate.
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