Arsenal beat Vorskla 3-0 in Kiev in the Europa League and with that the Gunners have put an end to some tensed days in midweek.
The European tie was entangled with political tension and the match had to eventually be shifted from Poltava to Kiev.
But thankfully everything went well for Unai Emery’s team – both on as well as off the pitch.
The Gunners manager chose to field a rather young side with Aaron Ramsey being the only senior pro in the attacking half.
But with an important tie against Tottenham coming up this weekend this move was very much expected from Unai Emery.
What was not expected though was Henrikh Mkhitaryan not coming off the bench as a substitute.
Unai Emery chose to bring in three youngsters in the second half – Charlie Gilmour, Bukayo Saka and Zech Medley meaning the Armenian had to watch the game from the dugout.
Many fans felt the Arsenal man is still to win the faith of Unai Emery but the manager chose to explain his decision after the match.
‘We were thinking today about our victory and also to create with the right players and to give chances to a lot of players,’ Unai Emery said.
‘We played with young players also and they are working with us in training every day.
‘In the 90 minutes, the first thing for us is to win, and then finish the match with some substitutions and the end result.’
So the manager chose not to send on Henrikh Mkhitaryan simply because he felt the youngster had the game under control.
But the million dollar question is whether the midfielder will get to start against Tottenham on Sunday.
Most people feel Henrikh Mkhitaryan will start the North London Derby on the bench much like he has done for most of the season and will only come on as a second-half substitute.
Unai Emery is expected to go will a three-man back-line meaning Kolasinac and Bellerin will play as wing backs alongside Torreira and Granit Xhaka who will be in central midfield.
Read: Here’s what will happen if Arsenal lose the North London Derby to Tottenham Hotspur.
Read: Apart from Lucas Torreira there is one more player who has been outstanding for Arsenal this season.
Read: The North London Derby has officially begun as Spurs midfielder fires shots at Arsenal before the high-profile clash.
