Saka shines as Arsenal rescue top score with draw

Arsenal came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Standard Liege and progress to the last 32  in their final Europa League group game.

The Gunners were all but through before kick-off, with the hosts needing to win 5-0 to prevent the visitors from going through to the knockout rounds.

Saka set up Alexandre Lacazette before equalising himself in a 2-2 draw that proved enough to seal top spot and a place among the seeds in Monday’s last-32 draw.

Interim boss Freddie Ljungberg deployed a back three in the game, with Saka forced into an unfamiliar left wing-back role, and while revealing the youngster at first seemed unimpressed, Ljungberg was left thrilled by his performance.

However, Samuel Bastien put the hosts ahead just after the restart when his shot deflected off Sokratis and beyond the wrong-footed Emiliano Martinez.

The goal boosted the hosts but visibly knocked the fragile confidence of the Arsenal players, who became even more nervy when Standard Liege got a second as Selim Amallah’s strike from inside the area flew into the far corner via a slight deflection off Konstantinos Mavropanos.