Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara revelled in Arsenal’s misery when they were knocked out of the Europa League by Sporting on Thursday night.
The Gunners were beaten 5-3 on penalties by the Portuguese side at the Emirates Stadium after being held to a 1-1 draw. Granit Xhaka put Arsenal in front after 19 minutes, but Sporting equalised through Pedro Goncalves’ stunning long-range goal. Gabriel Martinelli then saw his spot-kick saved as Sporting booked their place in the quarter-finals.
It was a bad night for Mikel Arteta’s side all round, with injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba adding to the heartbreak of being knocked out of the competition. O’Hara lapped up all of it while working on talkSPORT and reacted with glee when Nuno Santos put his penalty away to seal their fate.
Listening to the broadcaster’s commentary from the final moments, O’Hara threw up his hands in celebration and gritted his teeth while trying not to interrupt. He then stifled a laugh and, after catching the eye of fellow pundit Jason Cundy, continued his celebrations.
Finally, he started waving at the camera to rub even more salt into the wounds of Arsenal fans. The result means that the Gunners have followed Spurs in being booted out of Europe, with Antonio Conte’s side exiting the Champions League last week in a meek 1-0 aggregate defeat by AC Milan.
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Arsenal will now turn their attention to trying to win the Premier League for the first time in 19 years. Arteta’s side are five points clear of Manchester City after 27 games and have 11 matches left to hold off Pep Guardiola’s side.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta refused to see the Europa League elimination in a positive light. Asked if the result could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the title race, he replied: “I cannot see that today that way.
“You go through the competition and you win it’s magnificent. If not and it affects your plans in the league that’s a different story, but we wanted to go through.
"We put everything and with the effort that the boys put when it wasn’t our best day individually and collectively, the hunger and desire that they showed to win it was incredible.
“We really wanted it and it didn’t happen. We need to put our heads up, look for Palace. It’s what it is. There are 11 games and the first one starts on Sunday.”
Arsenal play Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Eagles will arrive in north London without a manager after Patrick Vieira was sacked on Friday following a terrible winless run in 2023.
