Europa League: Arsenal and Chelsea register wins; Joao Felix makes history as Benfica beat Frankfurt
Arms stockpile and Chelsea surrounded the Europa League keep going four on Thursday after the Gunners saw off profoundly liked Napoli 2-0 at the Emirates, while Marco Alonso's late header earned Maurizio Sarri's side a hard-battled succeed at Slavia Prague.
Unai Emery's Arsenal holds a solid preferred standpoint going into one week from now's the second leg because of a fine early strike from Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey and a shocking Kalidou Koulibaly claim objective halfway through the principal half and can mourn botched opportunities that would have put the tie totally past the Italians' compass.
"To keep a spotless sheet and score a few objectives is a beautiful method to begin the primary leg. We're enchanted with that," said Ramsey, who ought to have included the third when he burst over with nine minutes left, to BT Sport.
"We can go into the second leg with a tad of a pad, yet we realize it will be a troublesome spot to go... They are a quality group."
Chelsea then got away from Eden Arena after a bitty presentation that saw Kepa Arrizabalaga need to make some fine spares to keep the Czechs out before Alonso gestured home Willian's pinpoint cross a little ways from time to seal a 1-0 win.
The Blues stay unbeaten in the Europa League, keeping eight clean sheets in the challenge this season, and it was that robustness that oversaw them on a dubious night in Prague.
The Premier League pair stay on a crash course for the last in Baku, with the two sides set to maintain a strategic distance from one another on the off chance that they endure one week from now's second legs.
The armory was all over Napoli from the commencement and got their merited opener with 14 minutes on the clock, Ramsay dancing in toward the finish of a lovely passing move to serenely stroke home Ainsley Maitland-Niles' slick lay-off.
Napoli was totally unwell, scarcely ready to take care of business the ball out of their own half on occasion, and after 10 minutes the Gunners multiplied their lead.
Previous Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira won belonging in midfield and charged towards objective before letting off a frail shot that flicked off Koulibaly and flew past a hoodwinked Alex Meret in the Napoli objective.
Weapons store ought to have made a greater amount of their first-half strength over Carlo Ancelotti's slipshod side, however, were not rebuffed by the Serie An outfit, who through Piotr Zielinski ought to have stowed an away objective to reclaim to Naples in the second half.
"I was astounded by the absence of strength and identity from my players toward the begin," Carlo Ancelotti disclosed to Sky Sport.
"Turning this around will be troublesome now, however, we'll be home at the San Paolo, and our supporters will support us."
Record-breaking Felix
Arms stockpile will more likely than not take on Valencia should they hang on at what will be a threatening Stadio San Paolo after the La Liga side scored twice in stoppage time to win 3-1 at individual Spaniards Villarreal.
Goncalo Guedes scored twice, including what could be the conclusive third three minutes into included time, as Marcelino's side hit with two clinical breakaway objectives to give them an incredible shot of making the semis.
Chelsea in the interim will probably play Benfica should they experience following 19-year-old Joao Felix turned into the most youthful ever player to score an Europa League cap trap and set up the other objective in 4-2 prevail upon Eintracht Frankfurt that leaves the Bundesliga side, who needed to play with 10 men for 70 minutes, with a tough errand to make the last four in Germany one week from now.
Felix, a disclosure in his first season in the Benfica first group, got this show on the road from the spot in the 21st moment after Evan N'Dicka was sent off for pushing over objective bound Gelson Fernandes.
He set the hosts back in front just before the break after Luka Jovic – on credit from Benfica – scored a stunning leveler against his parent club in the 40th moment.
Ruben Dias made it three when he headed in Felix's flick-on a from a corner, and the 19-year-old side-footed home Alex Grimaldo's cross to finish his treble nine minutes into the second half before Goncalo Paciencia pulled one back with his head from a corner to keep the tie alive.