Arsenal 1:1 Atleti—Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

We played the part of rude hosts to Atleti, who saw their man Šime Vrsaljko sent off after just ten minutes. He had stomped on Lacazette after having already been cautioned in the very first minute. French referee Turpin might have been a bit harsh to issue the second yellow, but it was by the books. However, it took Arsenal almost hour to find a goal against ten men; Lacazette outleapt everyone to get to Wilshere's cross and nod it past the outstretched arms of Jan Oblak. A narrow margin, perhaps, but one that might sustain us for the second leg. Then, disaster struck. Griezmann brushed past Koscielny to latch onto a long ball, slipped the ball under Ospina, and finished over the scrambling Mustafi to make it 1:1. That's a crucial away-goal to concede and puts us at the base of a very tall mountain. Well, let's get down to the poll...

Atlético, Atleti, away!

Well, well, well. It appears as if the indomitable, invincible, insurmountable Atlético Madrid are not quite as in-_______ as reports would have you believe. Visiting Real Sociedad on Thursday, they suffered their heaviest defeat of the season, a 3-0 undressing that suggests, if nothing else, that our Europa League semifinal rivals are beatable. If we can do to them in this first leg what Real Sociedad has just done, maybe—just maybe—we can withstand whatever onslaught they'll mount in the second. There is no hubris here, no false optimism, only rational realism. Even as our own league form has dipped, we have to remind ourselves that we are marshaling resources (putting all of our eggs in one basket) and focusing on winning the Europa League. Real Sociedad has offered us an invitation, a dare, if you will, to at least get to the final.