Arsenal and Benfica drew 1-1 in their Europa League last 32 first leg tie. The Premier League side came from a goal down to grab a valuable away goal, although they may regret missing some chances which could have sealed a priceless away win.
One notable aspect of the game was the return to the Arsenal first-team for Kieran Tierney. The Scottish international had been out of action recently with a leg injury. However, he made his comeback as a second-half substitute.
Played for around half an hour
Tierney came on in the 63rd minute, and Mikel Arteta will no doubt be delighted that he managed to come through his return unscathed. It will be interesting to see if the 23-year-old returns to the starting line-up for the weekend game against Manchester City.
That will be a real test, as City are in excellent form and are running away with the Premier League title. Those are the type of games Tierney will be eager to play in though. But with the second leg against Benfica only a week away, Arteta could rest him, with the second leg in mind.
One of the team’s best players this season
Unsurprisingly, some Arsenal fans were delighted that Tierney was back in action. He has been one of Arsenal’s best players this season, and the responses on Twitter were full of praise for the player.
One fan went as far as to declare that the return of Tierney was the best news of the day. Here are some of the best reactions from Twitter to Tierney’s return to the Arsenal side: