The way that Arsenal went away to Napoli in the previous round and nullified their hosts should worry Valencia.
Goal! Henrikh Mkhitaryan tees up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) inside the box, and he keeps his cool to find the top right corner. 2:4.
Watch third goal Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Goal! Pierre-Emerick #Aubameyang (Arsenal) #VALARS #Valencia #AFC #ARSENAL #GUNNERS #WEAREARSENAL #UEL
— Kim Long (@KimLong2009) May 9, 2019
Link: https://t.co/PVl01iTxt5 | pic.twitter.com/h6Tx6dVhIN
Valencia would’ve been hoping to return with an away-goal, which they did, though they would’ve wanted to go back to Spain without being behind. By losing 3-1 on the road, the Bats aren’t out of it, but they’ve given themselves something of a mountain to climb.
As things stand, Thursday’s visitors have the upper hand.
The score-line would suggest that Valencia were easily bettered by their opponents in the first leg, though if we dig a little deeper, it’s easier to feel that the pair were more evenly matched than the result leads us to believe.
Defensively, as they shipped three goals and 1.88 expected goals, they weren’t great, though nor were Arsenal. Moreover, as the Bats created 1.74, it’s fair to say that they didn’t deserve to lose by two goals.