Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has warned his teammates against repeating last year’s Europa League semi-final mistakes after Arsenal beat Valencia 3-1 at the Emirates.
The Gunners conceded early but responded with two quick goals from Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman’s strike partner, Aubameyang sealed the victory with a very late goal from the opposition six-yard box.
“We started not so good, but we had a good reaction, played very well and won the game,” Aubameyang told BT Sport (via Onefootball).
“I think we started the game a bit nervous because we lost the last three [Premier League] games. That’s normal, we are human. But after that, we had a good reaction.
“I think we have a lot of quality in the group. We can go to the final but we know the next game will be difficult. But if we perform the same there we will go through.
“It’s our target of course to win this trophy. It’s an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League, so it’s really important.
“Last year we were stopped in the semi-finals, this year we’ve learned from our errors and hopefully we’ll go on to win.”
Arsenal only collected a 1-1 draw in the opening leg of last year’s Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid. They eventually fell to a Diego Costa winner which made the aggregate score 2-1 and let Diego Simeone’s men progress to the final.
Now, the Gunners are set to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday to keep their fight for a top-four finish alive.
“It’s the last home game so we have to give the fans a win,” Aubameyang added. “It’s tough in the Premier League in the race for the top four but we will give everything.”
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