Arsenal v Villarreal player ratings: Emile Smith-Rowe a rare bright spark for Gunners as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fails to deliver

A goalless draw at Emirates Stadium sends La Liga side through to Europa League final after 2-1 win in first leg

ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS: Bernd Leno 6 - The German goalkeeper didn’t have too much to deal with as he watched Villarreal’s best shooting opportunities go through comfortable channels for easy saves. AFP

Hector Bellerin 7 - Frequent runs up the flank helped Arsenal advance up the field and the right-back looked to have assisted the opening goal before Aubameyang headed against the post. AFP

Rob Holding 6 - No mistakes in defence and the defender almost opened the scoring after a powerful header went narrowly wide of the goal. PA

Pablo Mari 7 - A good display in the air saw Mari deal with the majority of balls into the box. The 27-year-old also transitioned the ball well with balls out to the flanks. A stand-out performer on Thursday night. EPA

Kieran Tierney 6 - The Scottish defender found Pepe with an intricate flick after the restart and looked brighter after Chukwueze was withdrawn. The 23-year-old’s pressure against Moreno may have kept the game in the balance when presented with Villarreal’s best chance of the game. Reuters

Emile Smith-Rowe 8 - The 20-year-old understood the occasion and played with intent, getting into good areas and moving the ball on to maintain an aggressive tempo with Arsenal requiring a goal to go through. Almost scored after dinking narrowly wide of the post but was unfortunate to be on the losing side. Reuters

Thomas Partey 5 - A sloppy foul on the edge of the box gave Villarreal a free kick in a dangerous area which began a difficult night for the Ghanaian who was isolated in midfield. Though Mikel Arteta can be forgiven for a more attacking line up with Arsenal requiring to win to advance. Reuters

Nicolas Pepe 6 - The Ivorian winger clearly has the magic but Villarreal’s stubborn shape made it hard for both Arsenal wingers on the night. A frustrating evening. PA

Martin Odegaard 6 - Kept the play ticking but not much else from the Norwegian attacking midfielder. Whether it’s cadence or chemistry, the on-loan Real Madrid midfielder isn’t shining much in Arteta’s system. Getty Images

Bukayo Saka 6 - Looked to attack the Villarreal defence but the final ball of the young winger wasn’t there. A disappointing display from the winger who normally causes problems for the defence. AP

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang 6 - The woodwork wasn’t on the side of the forward with Aubameyang striking against the post on two occasions. The 31-year-old made the most of little service throughout the game but couldn’t find the net. Reuters

SUBS: Gabriel Martinelli (Odegaard, 66) 6 - A positive move by Arteta but Martinelli seemed to face the same issues Pepe had with Villarreal isolating Arsenal’s attackers quickly. Getty Images

Willian (Tierney, 80) N/R - Almost unnoticeable after being introduced in the 80th minute. Reuters

Alexandre Lacazette (Aubameyang, 80) N/R - Just as isolated as Aubameyang was with Pau Torres and Raul Albiol keeping the Frenchman quiet. Reuters

Eddie Nketiah (Bellerin, 91) N/R - Not much the forward could do with the game becoming stop-start in the final minutes. Getty Images

VILLARREAL PLAYER RATINGS: Geronimo Rulli 5 - Almost made a mess of an Aubameyang shot in the first half and then nearly gifted a goal to Smith-Rowe when failing to deal with a cross. EPA

Mario Gaspar 6 - Dealt well with Pepe who often tried to get at the defender. Could have supported Yeremi Pino more who looked to be struggling to create much on the right flank, though Unai Emery’s side were only interested in counter-attacks. AP

Raul Albiol 7 - Alert to the danger as the Spanish centre-back looked to deal with Arsenal threats quickly and got in the way of a number of balls which asked questions of the Villarreal defence. Getty Images

Pau Torres 7 - Commanded the defence well alongside Albiol with Arsenal rarely getting a chance to shoot inside the box on the night. Helped clear some crosses which Rulli didn’t look comfortable dealing with. AP

Alfonso Pedraza 7 - A strong display on both ends of the pitch as the left-back defended well against a difficult matchup of Saka and Bellerin. AFP

Francis Coquelin 6 - Careless play in the 70th-minute gave Arsenal a free-kick in a dangerous situation. A good block against Bellerin inside the box helped prevent what would have been a dangerous moment in the game for Villarreal. AFP

Dani Parejo 6 - Came close with a freekick but spent the majority of the game defending and was often in the way of Arsenal attempts from outside the box. Reuters

Manu Trigueros 6 - The 29-year-old is usually one of Villarreal’s stand-out players but he wasn’t as influential, with Arsenal applying pressure in the second half. Helped out the defence well against Arsenal’s overlapping runs. Reuters

Paco Alcacer 6 - Worked hard and helped get the ball to Moreno but it was a quiet display overall from the forward. Eventually replaced by Carlos Bacca. Getty Images

Gerard Moreno 6 - Could have put Villarreal in front but a tame effort rolled into the hands of Leno. A poor effort which the striker prioritised over passing to the overlapping run. AFP

Samuel Chukwueze 7 - Warned Arsenal early on with a curling effort saved by Leno. The Nigerian winger was one of Villarreal’s brightest sparks before being stretchered off with an injury. Getty Images

SUBS: Yeremi Pino (Chukwueze, 30) 6 - The 18-year-old worked hard but it was always a difficult task to replace the influence of Chukwueze. Looked bright in spells but didn’t really threaten Tierney. Reuters

Carlos Bacca (Alcacer, 73) N/R - Not much to do with Villarreal defending the game out but worked hard for Unai Emery’s side. EPA

Alberto Moreno (Alfonso Pedraza, 91) N/R - Introduced to help defend against Arsenal’s late flurry. Pedraza looked to be tired after a solid performance. Reuters

Moi Gomez (Yeremi Pino, 91) N/R - On for the youngster who made his way back off the field with the midfielder on to see out the game. PA

Villarreal held out for a 0-0 draw on a nerve-jangling night away to Arsenal to reach the Europa League final on Thursday with a 2-1 aggregate victory.

The Spanish side protected their first-leg advantage with a disciplined display, riding their luck at times with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang twice hitting the post for the hosts.

Villarreal survived five minutes of stoppage time as Arsenal tried in vain to keep their season alive, celebrating wildly at the end as the club reached their first European final.

It was a momentous night for Villarreal manager Unai Emery who was sacked by Arsenal in 2019. He now has the chnace to win the Europa Leaguye for a fourth time when Villarreal take on Manchester United in the final in Gdansk later this month.

Reflecting on the performances at the Emirates Stadium, Adam Brown has provided his player ratings in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.