Mikel Arteta credited Willian for coming on to impact the game in a massive way.
Arsenal managed to get past Benfica in the Europa League round of 32 last night.
What looked like a bleak affair after the Portuguese outfit scored their second away goal, turned into an inspirational comeback. Arteta took off Emile Smith Rowe in the second half and brought on Willian.
The Brazilian was composed under pressure and helped add a different dynamic to the Gunners’ attack.
“Willian, specifically, I think he changed the game,” Arteta said at his post-match news conference. “He gave us much more composure in moments, produced some creativity, produced the goal for Kieran and we need everybody on board.”
Willian completed 94% of his 17 passes, one of them a key pass to Kieran Tierney who ended up scoring the second goal. Otherwise, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka combined the other two for Arsenal.
Speaking on Tierney’s superb performance, Arteta continued, “The way I’d describe him is all determination, all passion for what he does. The way he has come back from his injury and how willing he is to help the team. He gives us a big lift.”
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