Nicolas Pepe Heroics Give Arsenal 3-2 2019 Europa League Win vs. Guimaraes

Arsenal maintained their perfect record in the 2019 UEFA Europa League with a 3-2 Group F win over Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday.

Marcus Edwards gave the visitors a shock eighth-minute lead when the former Tottenham Hotspur academy winger slotted home.

Gabriel Martinelli netted once again in the Europa League with an equaliser after 32 minutes, but Vitoria grabbed the lead for a second time four minutes later through Bruno Duarte.

Substitute Nicolas Pepe made it 2-2 with a curling free-kick with 10 minutes remaining, and the forward repeated the feat in stoppage time to dramatically win the game.

A difficult night was not foreseen for the Gunners, but Unai Emery's side struggled against the Liga NOS outfit.

Kieran Tierney failed to deal with Victor Garcia's right-wing sprint, and the Venezuela international perfectly set up Edwards.

The London-born player steadied himself before rifling past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, per BT Sport.

The 20-year-old's goal surprised the Emirates Stadium. However, normal service appeared to have resumed when Martinelli found an equaliser. Tierney made up for his earlier error with an excellent cross, and the 18-year-old Brazilian proved his sharpness with a calm header to beat Miguel Silva. It was his third goal in two Europa matches. 

Arsenal were in the ascendency, but the visitors continued on the front foot, allowing Duarte to smash home the rebound after Davidson's shot hit the post.

The goal gave Guimaraes a half-time advantage, and Emery was forced to reorganise his team's tactics during the interval.

Arsenal pushed forward in their search for a second. Alexandre Lacazette suffered a poor night in the attack and was replaced by Pepe with 15 minutes to go. The winger's presence changed the game, and the 24-year-old scored a perfect free-kick just minutes after coming on.

The Ivory Coast international curled his effort beyond Silva's dive, and the ball nestled in the bottom corner of the net, sending the home crowd into rapture.

The moment fired Arsenal up, and the Gunners went searching for a winner after a night of continued frustration.

Matteo Guendouzi was fouled on the edge of the box on the stroke of full-time, and Pepe was once again the hero, wrapping his foot around the ball to send a powerful effort past Silva for a second time.

The result was harsh on the Portuguese, who matched Arsenal for most of the match, but Emery's superior firepower was the difference in the final moments of the contest.

What's Next

Both sides are in domestic action on Sunday. Arsenal will host Crystal Palace in the Premier League, and Guimaraes travel to Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga.