Arsenal vs Sevilla score, result, highlights as Saka, Martinelli put Gunners close to Champions League knockouts

Kyle Bonn

Arsenal vs Sevilla score, result, highlights as Saka, Martinelli put Gunners close to Champions League knockouts image

With a chance to secure a spot in the Champions League knockout round, Arsenal were absolutely unplayable.

While they didn’t quite get over the finish line in group stage play, the Gunners did their part on the day, completely dominating Sevilla at home in a 2-0 victory. They needed Lens to beat PSV in the Netherlands to be mathematically clear, but that didn’t quite come off.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were the stars, as the former scored and the latter assisted with his brilliance on the ball. Leandro Trossard, in for the injured Eddie Nketiah up front, bagged the opening goal on 29 minutes, with Arsenal totally dominant across the opening 45 minutes. After the break, Saka put Arsenal 2-0 up as they caught Sevilla with a vicious counter-attack.

Martinelli and Saka had their full-backs on roller skates the entire match, with the Brazilian completing a sensational nine dribbles on 17 attempts.

Mikel Arteta will rue just one thing in an otherwise brilliant evening at the Emirates Stadium. With the game in hand, the Arsenal boss chose to protect Martinelli and Trossard with substitutions, but after leaving Saka on the pitch as he has all year long, the England star suffered an injury in the final stages, a worrying situation for such an important player.

MORE: Watch every UEFA Champions League match in the USA with Paramount+

The Sporting News was following the Arsenal vs Sevilla match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

Arsenal vs Sevilla final score

  Score Goal scorers
Arsenal 2 Trossard (29'),
Saka (64')
Sevilla 0

Kickoff: 8 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
Location: Emirates Stadium (London, England)
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (ROM)

Starting lineups:

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 22. Raya (GK) — 4. White, 2. Saliba, 6. Gabriel, 18. Tomiyasu (Zinchenko, 46') — 20. Jorginho (Elneny, 90'), 41. Rice, 29. Havertz — 7. Saka (Kiwior, 85'), 19. Trossard (Nelson, 81'), 11. Martinelli (Vieira, 81').

Sevilla (4-1-4-1, right to left): 1. Dmitrovic (GK) — 26. Juanlu (Nianzou, 76'), 22. Bade, 6. Gudelj, 27. Kike Salas — 20. Fernando — 17. Lamela, 8. Jordan (Soumare, 65' — Mariano, 73'), 18. Sow (Rakitic, 65'), 3. Pedrosa (Ocampos, 76') — 15. En-Nesyri.

Arsenal vs Sevilla live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: Arsenal 2-0 Sevilla

The Gunners couldn't quite secure a spot in the knockout stage thanks to PSV's victory over Lens, but Arsenal were brilliant for their part as they brush Sevilla aside with ease.

Arsenal were sensational from start to finish, with exceptional wing play standing out above the rest. They got their two goals through two wonderful vertical balls, but they shredded the Sevilla full-backs through the 90 minutes, never letting up.

Still, Mikel Arteta will rue his mistake of leaving Bukayo Saka on too long, something he's done repeatedly this season, yet to show any signs of changing his ways despite a number of injury issues late in games. Saka's suffered another here, and they'll await the results of scans to determine his availability moving forward.

Arsenal vs Sevilla: Second Half

90th min: One final sub for Arsenal as Mohamed Elneny comes on to spell Jorginho.

87th min: Well, the broadcast clarifies that Declan Rice was the one given a yellow card, not Bukayo Saka. Doesn't quite make sense, since it certainly appeared the official showed it to Saka for his reaction, but you wonder if Rice also had a go and said something more derogatory.

84th min: Oleksandar Zinchenko is the first Arsenal player booked. Saka has gone back down and receives treatment, and will now be brought off by Mikel Arteta, replaced by defender Jakob Kiwior — was it too late?

Saka tries to limp off the pitch the long way, and he's told by the referee to turn around and go the other direction. Saka reacts angrily, and is booked for his dissent. That's a really really silly booking.

80th min: Gabriel Martinelli's last action of the match is to draw a yellow card to brand new Sevilla substitute Lucas Ocampos, who fouls the Brazilian seconds after coming on for Adria Pedrosa.

With the game winding down, Mikel Arteta makes his first changes outside of his halftime swap, with Fabio Vieira coming on for Martinelli, whose shift was exceptional. Reiss Nelson also comes in for Leandro Trossard.

Bukayo Saka, who has often been left in the crossfire by Arteta this season, is not brought off, and just after play restarts he's gone down with an injury. He's in a lot of pain, and his ankle is being looked at by trainers. He limps around and will continue for now.

74th min: Chance, Sevilla! Straight onto the pitch, former Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz has Sevilla's best chance of the match as the Arsenal defensive unit is scattered! He gets in behind Gabriel and nearly latches onto a long ball with the goalkeeper in no-man's land, but the ball somehow bounces harmlessly away!

72nd min: Again the referee goes to his pocket for a late challenge by Juanlu on Gabriel Martinelli. It's a really silly tackle, as the ball had already gone over the touchline and out of play when he lunged in. The Brazilian has evicerated him all evening.

There's a problem for Soumare, who's down and needs treatment. It's the second time he's sat on the turf, and the substitute will likely have to be himself subbed off. Mariano Diaz comes on to replace him.

67th min: Chance, Arsenal! Oleksandar Zinchenko very nearly produces a stunner with a vicious leg whip that stings the palms of Marko Dmitrovic! The Sevilla goalkeeper does very well to leap and parry the hit, which was hit with real venom.

66th min: Ivan Rakitic and Boubakary Soumare are the first men brought off the bench by Sevilla. Not a minute goes by for the subs as Soumare becomes the first man booked by referee Istvan Kovacs for a late lunge on Declan Rice after the ball had gone.

64th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! BUKAYO SAKA WITH A BRILLIANT SOLO GOAL! Arsenal have just lulled Sevilla into a trap, allowing the Spanish side to possess the ball and hitting with a vicious, one-man counter. Once they're in transition, Saka is put through by Gabriel Martinelli and takes on his man one-on-one, shredding him with a cut inside on his left.

Then, all it needs is the finish, which the England star produces with a beautiful hit that's buried inside the bottom corner. A beautiful goal!

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62nd min: Sevilla have their first real spell of attacking possession, but they don't get much out of it other than an overhit cross from Erik Lamela.

56th min: Chance, Arsenal! Kai Havertz misses again! He cuts inside onto his left and rifles a curler towards the Sevilla goal, and the ball flies just inches wide of the far post! That's three times Havertz has had a good look on net and come up empty without even testing the goalkeeper, although to be fair, it's only close thanks to a quality effort this time. Still not quite quality enough!

54th min: Sevilla, still trailing, have begun to press a bit higher than they had been before. That could see the game open up a bit, as so far it's been quite dull thanks to the defensive approach from the visitors.

49th min: Chance, Arsenal! Sevilla get a free-kick from about 30 yards out, but it's cleared with relative ease. Arsenal use the chance to break, but Kai Havertz blazes his shot well over the crossbar, helped by a defensive deflection!

Kickoff: Interestingly, it's leaders Arsenal, not Sevilla, who have made a halftime change. Mikel Arteta has taken Takehiro Tomiyasu off, replacing him with Oleksandar Zinchenko. You wonder if that's tactical to get the Gunners a bit more incision, or if there's an injury involved.

It's surprising that Sevilla still sport their two starting full-backs, considering how bad they were beaten by Arsenal's wingers in the first 45 minutes.

HALFTIME: Arsenal 1-0 Sevilla

The opening 45 minutes of this match were entirely, completely, utterly one-sided. Arsenal controlled play from start to finish, and Sevilla had hardly a kick of the ball. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka had their defenders on roller skates all half. They managed to unlock the Sevilla low block once thanks to Jorginho's glorious ball, Saka's pinpoint cross, and Leandro Trossard's cool finish.

Still, they will maybe feel they deserved more, and the match is still somewhat in the balance. Sevilla turned things around in the second half last time, and will look to do the same here with only half the Arsenal lead to deal with.

If Arsenal hang on to win, they would have a chance to secure a spot in the knockout stage, but they need Lens to beat PSV, and in the Netherlands, the hosts have the advantage, so as it stands the Gunners cannot mathematically clinch a Round of 16 place.

Arsenal vs Sevilla: First Half

44th min: Oh my goodness Gabriel Martinelli absolutely roasts Juanlu on the touchline, which the crowd loves. The Brazilian has already attempted an incredible ten dribbles, successful with six of them.

39th min: In what feels like Sevilla's first move forward into Arsenal's attacking third, William Saliba produces a sensational sliding tackle to dispossess Youssouf En-Nesyri and end the chance. The Sevilla striker could have been through on goal if he'd missed, and a foul there could have been a penalty or last man red card.

29th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! Leandro Trossard has broken through the packed-in Sevilla defensive unit, and Arsenal lead! Jorginho's wonderful vertical ball feeds Bukayo Saka in behind Kike Salas, and he crosses to the middle where Trossard has made an unmarked run.

Arsenal's wingers have torched their full-back marks all game, and this was always going to be the end result. A first-half goal is just what this match needed, as it will force Sevilla out of their shell eventually.

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26th min: Sevilla are bunkered in as low of a block as you could possibly imagine. This is 11 attackers on 11 defenders at the moment. Gabriel Martinelli puts Juanlu on roller skates, and Bukayo Saka goes down in the penalty area, but the referee's not interested. Replay shows there's not much in it.

18th min: A fourth foul drawn by Bukayo Saka as Adria Pedrosa gets in on the action. The Arsenal star takes this free-kick himself but curls it well over the crossbar. Another waste by Arsenal.

16th min: Again Bukayo Saka is fouled by his new mark Kike Salas, but so far referee Istvan Kovacs hasn't produced a yellow card. That's surprising given his early chat with the Sevilla full-back.

Gabriel Martinelli wastes the free-kick with a poor delivery that falls well short.

10th min: Nemanja Gudelj has been done by Bukayo Saka twice already, and so Sevilla head coach Diego Alonso has instructed his full-backs to swap sides. Kike Salas is now on the right and will mark Saka for the foreseeable future.

7th min: Arenal are in complete control of the match but Sevilla have done well to hem the hosts in as they look to build. There's been very little in this match so far since the early chance inside the first minute.

Bukayo Saka is fouled by Nemanja Gudelj who gets a talking to from the official. That could be an early warning for the Sevilla centre-back.

1st min: Chance, Arsenal! Kai Havertz has blown a great chance and we're not even a minute in! A corner is floated to the far post where Havertz is sitting entirely unmarked, but he heads it miserably wide, not even close to testing Marko Dmitrovic in goal. Not the start the German will have hoped for!

Kickoff: We're under way in London! Arsenal can ensure they remain atop the standings with a win, while Sevilla can draw within a point of the Gunners if they manage to bag a road result. Best-case scenario for Arsenal today is a win for themselves as well as victory for Lens against PSV, which would confirm a place for the Gunners in the knockout rounds with still two matches to go.

Arsenal vs Sevilla: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

15 mins to kickoff: Tonight's official, Istvan Kovacs, is considered one of the most skilled up-and-coming referees UEFA have at their disposal. The 39-year-old was the fourth official for last year's Champions League final, and also served as fourth official at eight matches during the 2022 World Cup. He was, however, reprimanded for his errors during last year's Champions League semifinal between AC Milan and Napoli.

His only other Champions League assignment so far this year was the 4-1 win for Newcastle against PSG, where he dished out seven total yellow cards and blew for 25 fouls, including four on Sandro Tonali.

30 mins to kickoff: Martin Odegaard misses out today with his continued injury struggle. He told the Arsenal official website ahead of today's match, "I’m not used to watching games on TV, I find it hard, and Saturday’s match especially was a hard one to watch and not be involved in. I really wanted to be playing of course, and that game was extra frustrating, with everything that happened."

Arsenal looked too predictable against Newcastle without Odegaard pulling the strings in the attack. The Magpies were able to double Bukayo Saka and let the rest of the Arsenal attack flounder.

45 mins to kickoff: To put it plainly, Kai Havertz has struggled in his first few months with Arsenal. Yet Mikel Arteta has made sure to give the German plenty of chances to turn things around.

Still, Havertz has to be running out of room for error. He has continued to finish at an extremely poor rate relative to the chances he's had in front of goal, he doesn't dribble well (just 1 successful dribble, 17% success rate), and he isn't generating chances at a high rate (0.7 key passes per 90 minutes). He'll have to provide something going forward if he wishes to keep his place in the team long-term.

1 hour to kickoff: The lineups are in. For Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah misses out with a knock which kept him out of training, as Leandro Trossard starts up front and Kai Havertz is deployed in midfield. Teenage forwards Charles Sagoe Jr. and Amario Cozier-Duberry make the bench as anticipated.

Sevilla boss Diego Alonso, meanwhile, has completely rotated his squad. A number of regular first-team players, including Jesus Navas, Ivan Rakitic, Lucas Ocampos, and goalkeeper Orjan Nyland are ether dropped to the bench or left out altogether, while backups are brought in.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Sevilla are looking for a repeat from former Man City wide man Jesus Navas, who provided a massive moment off the bench to draw a Tyrell Malacia own-goal in a two-goal comeback at Old Trafford in last year's Europa League quarterfinals.

Sevilla were down 2-2 at halftime, but two Man United own-goals in the final 10 minutes saw them secure a big result before winning 3-0 in the second leg at home.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: There are reports that Arsenal youngster Charles Sagoe Jr. will be included in the Gunners' squad today. Adding the 19-year-old forward to the mix could indicate a less promising chance for the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Martin Odegaard to pass fit today.

Two other young forwards, 18-year-old academy product Amario Cozier-Duberry and 20-year-old Khayon Edwards, could also be included, some reports say. Neither were included in Arsenal's U-19 squad for their youth UCL match today against Sevilla. Will either see the field?

1 hour 45 mins to kick: Takehiro Tomiyasu has played a key role for Arsenal as a versatile full-back who can step in for players who are either injured or require rest. He played the full 90 minutes in the first match against Sevilla on the left flank, and could be deployed here again if Mikel Arteta prefers him to Oleksandar Zinchenko.

2 hours to kickoff: Arsenal's reliance on Bukayo Saka came back to haunt them on Saturday as they were held off the scoresheet in defeat to Newcastle. Saka was blanketed throughout the match, leaving the creative duties squarely on the shoulders of Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian did his best to will the team to a goal, but without the injured Martin Odegaard to support, it came to little. The Sporting News has, however, tipped Martinelli to have better luck against a defensively vulnerable Sevilla side, as he was the star performer two weeks ago across Arsenal's victory in Spain.

Arsenal vs Sevilla lineups & team news

Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe are all long-term absentees for Arsenal, while concern remains over the fitness of Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian playmaker has been absent from the past three Arsenal starting lineups.

Eddie Nketiah has been leading the line of late but has reportedly missed training ahead of the game. Kai Havertz could get another an opportunity up front, despite largely operating in midfield so far since signing for the club.

Arsenal starting lineup (4-3-3): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu — Jorginho, Rice, Havertz — Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.

Arsenal subs (10): Ramsdale (GK), Hein, Cedric, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Cozier-Duberry, Sagoe Jr.

Sevilla are likely to be without veteran centre-back Sergio Ramos, who is carrying a calf injury and could be out another week or two. Marcao and Alfonso Pastor are also sidelined for the Spanish side. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland is out with a hip injury, replaced by Marko Dmitrovic.

Head coach Diego Alonso has rotated his squad heavily, with a number of regular first-team players dropped to the bench or left out entirely, including Jesus Navas, Ivan Rakitic, and Lucas Ocampos.

Sevilla starting lineup (4-1-4-1): Dmitrovic (GK) — Juanlu, Bade, Gudelj, Kike Salas — Fernando — Lamela, Jordan, Sow, Pedrosa — En-Nesyri.

Sevilla subs (12): A. Flores (GK), Gattoni, Ocampos, Suso, Rafa Mir, Rakitic, Lukebakio, Mariano, Nianzou, Navas, Oliver, Soumare.

How to watch Arsenal vs Sevilla

MORE: Watch every UEFA Champions League match in the USA with Paramount+

Here's how to watch the clash in some of the major territories around the world, with kickoff at 8pm GMT (UK time).

  TV channel Streaming
USA TUDN, Univision Paramount+, Fubo, ViX, Univision NOW
UK TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports Ultimate discovery+
Australia  — Stan Sport
Canada  — DAZN
India  Sony Ten 5 Sony LIV, JioTV
New Zealand  — beIN Sports Connect
Malaysia  — beIN Sports Connect
Singapore  — beIN Sports Connect
Hong Kong  beIN Sports 4 beIN Sports Connect

Arsenal vs Sevilla betting odds & lines

  Arsenal
win
Draw Sevilla
win
Both teams
to score Y / N
Over / Under
3.5 goals
ARS
-1.5
SEV
+1.5
DraftKings
(USA)
-320 +500 +800 -110 / -115 +130 / -180 -120 -110

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.