A single, late-ish goal Danny Welbeck goal was enough to earn Arsenal a slim victory over Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League and extend their winning streak to 11 on the bounce.
The Gunners looked confident, assured and good value for the victory though it took an errant touch from Sebastien Coates for Welbeck to be afforded his chance in front of goal in the 77th minute.
When the moment came, he didn’t falter, drilling a precise shot through Renan Ribeiro’s legs…
It would be easy to pile in on Coates, a serial easy target, for what many perceived to be an outright foot-fumble, but to blame a man for not having the reflexes of a house fly is a little unfair.
He did his best to shift and cut out Aubameyang’s mis-flick but the unfortunate touch fell right into Welbeck’s path. It happens sometimes.
Nice finish though.
The result leaves Arsenal perched atop Group E with a maximum point haul of nine points from three games, while Sporting remain tucked in behind them in second place.