Arsenal beat Cardiff City on emotional day of tributes to Emiliano Sala

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:25 am

Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette struck second-half goals to earn a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Cardiff City in the Premier League at an emotional Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Aubameyang slotted a 66th-minute penalty past Neil Etheridge after Bruno Manga had fouled Sead Kolasinac.

Unai Emery's side then made their overwhelming territorial superiority count as Lacazette scored a beauty in the 83rd minute, dribbling past Cardiff skipper Sol Bamba before drilling a shot into the corner.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored a late consolation for Cardiff.

The match began in sombre fashion with tributes being made to Cardiff City's Argentine striker Emiliano Sala, who has been missing since a plane carrying him to Wales from Nantes last Monday disappeared over the English Channel.

It was Cardiff's first game since Argentine striker Sala, who had not played for the club since joining from Nantes, went missing. Bamba and Arsenal skipper Mesut Ozil both placed bunches of daffodils on the pitch.

On the field, Cardiff came out looking sharp and Emery admitted after the match his team had been fortunate to come away with the result, especially based off the action in the first half.

He said: "In the first half, if one team deserved to score, it was them. In the dressing room we spoke about that, and the first half result [0-0] was a good result for us because we had conceded chances to them.

"But in the second half we had the opportunity to change this situation, but it's not easy because they were playing one-versus-one across the pitch, and it's not easy to find space, but Cardiff tired, and with patience we were able to score."

A sixth successive home win for fifth-placed Arsenal moved them level on 47 points with Chelsea in the race for a top-four finish. They are also two points clear of Manchester United who could only draw 2-2 at home to Burnley.

Cardiff have 19 points, three behind fourth-from-bottom Southampton.