Unai Emery’s team have wobbled badly in the league in recent weeks, losing four out of their past five matches after putting themselves in a strong position.

They are two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with two matches remaining, the first at home to Brighton on Sunday and the second away to Burnley the following week.

But they still have two chances to reach next season’s Champions League — by winning the Europa League or moving up a place from their current position of fifth in the Premier League.

Arsenal lead Valencia 3-1 ahead after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.

Victory in that competition guarantees entry into the Champions League next season.

Emery, who said reaching the Champions League again after an absence of two seasons is the club’s “first objective”, is aware that he is not in control of the situation.

“We need to win the next match and if we win against Brighton we are going to the last match against Burnley with the possibility to be in the top four,” he said.

“It’s not in our hands, but we need to win our matches and the first is Sunday. It’s not easy to win each match, for us and for other teams, but the focus for us is to win against Brighton for different situations.

“We are going to play the last match at home and we want to finish at the Emirates with a victory.

“The first objective is to finish in the top four and it will give us the chance.”

– Cech farewell –

Emery confirmed earlier this week that the injured Aaron Ramsey, leaving for Juventus at the end of the season, would not feature again for the club, while veteran goalkeeper Peter Cech is retiring.

The Arsenal boss conceded that qualifying for the Champions League through the league would be tough with third-placed Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United also in the mix.

But despite recent hiccups, he is happy with his first season in charge at the Emirates.

“Our progress I think — when we started the season we lost against Man City and Chelsea  and we worked for this process, little by little and at the end of the season now we are with this possibility.

“I think when we started we would have been happy to have today these two opportunities in the Premier League and Europa League to reach our target.”

Brighton, who themselves have plenty to play for as they scramble to ensure Premier League survival, have drawn two of their past three matches.

They are on 35 points, four clear of Cardiff, who are in the third and final relegation spot.

“We’ve shown a reaction to that slump in form, and hopefully we can continue that at the Emirates on Sunday,” said striker Glenn Murray.

Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) went fastest on Friday in the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, but the Italian was by no means lonely at the top as his advantage over reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was just 0.012 by the end of play. Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) was third and within a tenth though, with Jerez specialist Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) next up and just 0.039 behind ‘DesmoDovi’. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, was only a further 0.059 back in fifth to make it less than two tenths covering the top five in a Ducati vs Honda duel for supremacy at the top: a factory rider settling in, last year’s winner, the points leader seeking his first MotoGP™ podium at the venue, a three-time premier class Jerez winner and the 2019 polesitter. Quite an opening day for the European leg of the season.

If the initial Honda vs Ducati duel continues into qualifying, there was groundwork laid in FP1. Repsol Honda took a 1-2 and Marquez sat behind Dovizioso for a couple of laps, and in FP2 the numbers 93 and 99 spent some time circulating in tandem as bad luck-struck Lorenzo got straight back into the mix near the front at one of his most successful venues and Marquez followed him around. But if gaps are the name of the game, the headlines need to expand. Fastest Yamaha Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was third in FP1 and ended the day right in the mix at 0.203 off Petrucci and just 0.008 off Crutchlow, with the Jerez Test’s fastest man, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), for close company and just 0.022 behind on the combined timesheets. The second quickest Yamaha – and fastest rookie by a stretch – was Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in P8, and the Frenchman completes a top six split by exactly three tenths as Jerez shapes up to be a showstopper.

Back in action for his first wildcard of the season, meanwhile, Honda test rider and premier class podium finisher Stefan Bradl (HRC Team) took P9 and made it every Honda inside the top ten to further underline their threat in Jerez, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) doing similar for Ducati as he completed the top ten, 0.555 off Petrucci. As it stands, they’re the last two with a provisional place in Q2…

In terms of key drama on Day 1, there was a run on for Dovizioso, two crashes for Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and a crash for Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) after which the Malaysian headed to the medical centre – rider ok. Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) crashed and wildcard Bradley Smith (Aprilia Factory Racing) crashed in FP2, with the Red Flag briefly shown due to track conditions. With only a couple of minutes left on the clock though, it wasn’t enough for more than one more lap.

So if the field can’t improve their laptimes in FP3, who stands to lose out? The biggest name not currently on course to move through to Q2 directly is Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with the 2016 winner down in P16 after a tough opening day. It was also a tough Friday for the man who beat him to the top step at COTA, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), with the Spaniard down in P12 – although he’s already recovered from worse this season and is on a serious roll on Sunday form. Rins hasn’t finished outside the top six since Austria last season – and yes, he’s finished every race.

Aiming to improve alongside them in FP3 are the likes of Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in P11, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) in P13, fellow rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in P18 and KTM’s Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who finished Day 1 in P14 and just 0.041 ahead of Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). The gaps from Miller completing the top ten and Mir in P18 are all less than seven hundredths, however…highlighting the incredible level of competition once again.

Can Rossi and Rins fight back on Saturday? Will Honda and Ducati rule the roost on Day 2? Or could we see Viñales finding that missing margin at the front? Make sure to tune in for FP3 at 9:55 (GMT +2) to see who’s heading straight through to Q2, before qualifying from 14:10.

Friday’s fastest:

1 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) 1’37.909

2 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +0.012

3 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +0.097

4 – Jorge Lorenzo (SPA – Honda) +0.136

5 – Cal Crutchlow (GBR – Honda) +0.195

In the main event, England’s Jonathan Haggerty scored a huge upset, capturing the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

In an exciting main event at ONE: FOR HONOR, England’s Jonathan “The General” Haggerty scored two knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision victory over Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadaoin a close contest. The two striking superstars immediately engaged in a back-and-forth war of attrition from the very first round, tagging each other with powerful combinations. A left jab in the third round dropped Sam-A, as did another left jab in the fifth round. The action was fierce and intense all throughout the contest. In the end all three judges scored the bout in favor of Haggerty who was crowned the new ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.

In the co-main event of the evening, Kyrgyzstan’s Kiamrian Abbasov spoiled the promotional debut of Japanese mixed martial arts legend Yushin “Thunder” Okami, stopping the welterweight standout in the second round with a plethora of strikes from the top. The first round saw Okami use his veteran savvy to keep Abbasov timid, but Abbasov made a huge adjustment by being more aggressive in the second. After sending Okami crashing to the canvas care of a straight right hand, Abbasov jumped all over him with punches to force the stoppage.

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Russia authored a dominant performance, outworking opponent Tetsuya Yamada of Japan across three rounds to win a wide unanimous decision. Gafurov spent the majority of the bout in top position, punishing Yamada with ground-and-pound as the Japanese martial artist tried his best to defend himself intelligently. In the end, the relentless pressure of Gafurov proved too much as the Russian stalwart walked away with all three of the judges’ favor.

In a ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai contest, Yodpanomrung “The Lightning Knee” Jitmuangnon of Thailand turned in a thrilling performance, stopping Tyler Hardcastle of Australia abruptly to end matters in the third and final round. All throughout the bout, Yodpanomrung appeared a step faster and a shade more powerful than Hardcastle, who put forth a valiant effort despite the loss. Collapsing to the canvas from a flying knee right to the midsection, Hardcastle could not beat the 10 count and the referee waved him off.

In a highly-anticipated women’s atomweight showdown, hometown heroine Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol put forth a monstrous effort, dominating Cambodian Kun Khmer World Champion Nou Srey Povover three rounds to score a unanimous decision win. Although Srey Pov came in with a feral appetite for victory, Lumban Gaol kept her composure and consistently mounted the pressure from start to finish. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of the Indonesian.

Vietnamese-American featherweight contender Thanh Le made a successful ONE Championship debut, stopping Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev of Russia in the second round with a well-placed knee. After experiencing great difficulty in dealing with Saadulaev’s grappling skills in the first round, Le knew he had to keep the bout standing in the second. A mere 12 seconds into the second stanza, and Le connected on the bout-ending maneuver to notch the exciting finish.

A fierce bantamweight showdown ensued between South Korea’s Dae Hwan “Ottogi” Kim and China’sAyideng “The Kazakh Eagle” Jumayi. From the sound of the opening bell, the two warriors had no qualms about trading their most powerful combinations in close quarters. Kim, a former ONE World Title challenger, staggered Jumayi in the final minute of the first round with a right hook, and completed the finish with a pair of thunderous right uppercuts in the corner to earn the technical knockout victory.

ONE Championship promotional newcomer Ryogo “Kaitai” Takahashi of Japan walked away with a huge victory after stopping Malaysia’s Keanu Subba in the first round of a featherweight contest with a ferocious flurry. After a checked leg kick from Subba sent the Malaysian to the canvas, Takahashi followed his opponent and overpowered him on the ground with punches to earn the shockingly quick technical knockout.

Local stars Paul “The Great King” Lumihi and “The Terminator” Sunoto brought the Istora Senayan crowd to its feet with a spectacular showing. A patient and methodical Sunoto dominated the first round of action, as the elder Indonesian martial artist poured on the ground-and-pound early. Lumihi came alive in the second round, making the bout slightly more competitive. But in the third, Sunoto reversed the momentum, taking down Lumihi and punishing him from top position. All three judges scored the bout in favor of the veteran Sunoto.

In a ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai contest, Japan’s Kenta Yamada overcame a rough first round to put the pressure on opponent Deividas Danyla of Lithuania over the course of the three-round contest to come away with a split decision victory. Yamada found his range in the second round, tagging Danyla with lefts and rights. In the third round, Yamada pulled away ever so slightly, connecting on the cleaner more telling blows. In the end, two of the three judges scored the bout in favor of the former WBC Muay Thai Japan Champion.

Former ONE Cambodia Featherweight Grand Prix finalist Chan Rothana of Cambodia put together a scintillating performance, defeating Indonesian flyweight mixed martial arts champion Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian in front of the latter’s hometown crowd. The bout opened up with a spirited exchange of offense on the ground and on the feet. In the end however, it was Rothana who scored a huge technical knockout victory, overwhelming Agustian in the second round with strikes.

Scotland’s Andrew “Maddog Fairtex” Miller made a triumphant return to ONE Super Series, defeatingMohammed “Jordan Boy” Bin Mahmoud of Malaysia. In the first round, Miller scored a quick knockdown after catching a kick and then countering with a right hand that landed right on the chin of Mohammed. In the second round, Miller dropped Mohammed once again, this time with a leg kick. A dominant third round for the Scottish martial artist put the stamp on an incredible performance, as Miller walked away with a unanimous decision victory.

Strawweight standout Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis of Indonesia quickly took apart Himanshu Kaushik of India, piling on the pressure from the sound of the opening bell with a good mix of striking and grappling. It wasn’t long until Kaushik would fold under the pressure, as Mattheis caught him in a rear naked choke and forced the tap.

Kicking off the action at ONE: FOR HONOR in Jakarta were local athletes “Black Ant” Guntur andAngelo “The Unicorn King” Bimoadji. As soon as the bell rang, Bimoadji immediately went for the takedown, sensing he had the advantage on the mat. He then looked to pass guard and slowly transitioned into dominant position. Once in full mount, Bimoadji transitioned into an armbar and forced the tap.

Official results for ONE: FOR HONOR

ONE Super Series Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship bout: Jonathan Haggerty defeats Sam-A Gaiyanghadao by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Welterweight bout: Kiamrian Abbasov defeats Yushin Okami by TKO (Strikes) at 1:10 minutes of round 2

Mixed Martial Arts Catch Weight bout (71.4kg): Marat Gafurov defeats Tetsuya Yamada by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai bout: Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon defeats Tyler Hardcastle by Knockout (KO) at 2:11 minutes of round 3

Mixed Martial Arts Women’s Atomweight bout: Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol defeats Nou Srey Pov by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Featherweight bout: Thanh Le defeats Yusup Saadulaev by Knockout (KO) at 0:12 minutes of round 2

Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight bout: Dae Hwan Kim defeats Ayideng Jumayi by TKO (Strikes) at 4:11 minutes of round 1

Mixed Martial Arts Featherweight bout: Ryogo Takahashi defeats Keanu Subba by TKO (Strikes) at 1:46 minutes of round 1

Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight bout: Sunoto defeats Paul Lumihi by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai bout: Kenta Yamada defeats Deividas Danyla by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Flyweight bout: Chan Rothana defeats Rudy Agustian by TKO (Strikes) at 2:50 minutes of round 2

ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai bout: Andrew Miller  defeats Mohammed Bin Mahmoud by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight bout: Adrian Mattheis defeats Himanshu Kaushik by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:42 minutes of round 1

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight bout: Angelo Bimoadji defeats Guntur by Submission (Armbar) at 4:56 minutes of round 1

After signing for an opening 70, Kaske nailed six birdies against a bogey at the Namseoul Country Club to move atop the Korean-dominated leaderboard where he sits alongside overnight co-leader Taehee Lee of Korea (69) with matching totals of six-under-par 136s.

Local prospects Yoseop Seo and Junwon Park trail the leading duo by one shot in third place following respective rounds of 69 and 68 at the KR₩1,200,000,000 (approx. US$1,067,000) event, which is celebrating its 38th edition this week.

Phachara, who turns 20 years old today, posted a commendable 68 to settle for a share of fifth place on 138 with Gowoong Choi of Korea. The young Thai talent is the only foreigner after Kaske to sit inside the top-10 after 36 holes at the Maekyung Open.

Kaske, who started from the 10th hole, chipped in for birdie on the 12th before reeling in six consecutive pars to turn in 34. A birdie on the first sparked a hot run for the 32-year-old as he went on to sink three consecutive birdies from the third.

Despite stumbling with a bogey on the sixth, Kaske kept his cool and bounced back swiftly with an impressive birdie on the next, where he rolled in a 30-footer downhill from back edge of the green.

Defending champion Sanghyun Park of Korea, who is chasing for an unprecedented treble in the storied event, followed up his opening round 72 with a bogey-free 68 on his familiar winning ground to tie in 11th place on 140.

Korean National Team player Seunghyeon Oh produced the shot of the day on the par-three sixth hole after his five-iron tee shot found the bottom of the cup from 234 yards. The amateur, however, failed to make the weekend rounds after signing for an eventual 77.

The halfway cut was set at four-over-par 146 with a total of 73 players, including five local amateurs, progressing into the weekend rounds at the event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association.

Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen and Spain’s Jorge Campillo, who both started the day tied for the lead, slipped to second and third place respectively after they returned with a 68 and 69 at the Genzon Golf Club.

Chinese amateur Kuang Yang endeared himself to the galleries when at 14 years and 170 days, became the second youngest player on the Asian Tour to make the halfway cut which was set at two-under-par.

India’s Khalin Joshi, a one-time Asian Tour winner, enjoyed a revival in form as he will also feature in the weekend rounds for the first time this season, having missed the cut in all six starts prior to this week’s Chinese showpiece.

The Indian signed for a 70 which placed him in a share of 23rd place, eight shots back of Wu.

Wu got his round going in the morning with an opening birdie on his back-nine 10. He headed towards the turn with another three birdies on 13, 15 and 17 and added another two more birdies on the first and third hole after the turn.

However he was left to confront his nemesis on the par-four five again when he dropped another shot there for the second time.

Wu, who won the Volvo China Open in 2015, then stormed home by closing with another two birdies in his last three holes to sign for a two-day total of 13-under-par 131.

Choudhury, 21, responded after the Twitter messages from 2013 and 2014 were revealed last weekend.

In June 2013, he wrote: “Why are black people so fast. Because the slow ones are in prison.”

One tweet was critical of women’s football, saying: “That has to be the worst advert sums up womens football to be honest.”

Choudhury also wrote: “Sorry but I dont feel sorry for people who self harm or commit suicide.”

The player apologised earlier this week, saying he had learned a lot but the FA announced it had charged Choudhury with misconduct in relation to the posts.

“It is alleged that the comments breach FA Rule E3(1) as they were abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute,” an FA statement read.

“It is further alleged that the comments constitute an ‘aggravated breach’, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as they included reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or sexual orientation.

“The midfielder has until 13 May 2019 to provide a response.”

Rodgers said he would have no qualms about selecting Choudhury for Monday’s clash with Manchester City, after revealing the youngster proactively apologised for the social media posts.

Former Celtic boss Rodgers said: “Firstly it was something that Hamza wanted to deal with. He was a 15-year-old at the time and certainly at 21 you are totally different. He was very apologetic and he wanted to put that out there.

“He’s remorseful for his comments but when you make a mistake you learn from it.”

Asked whether Choudhury is in the right frame of mind to play, Rodgers added: “He is absolutely fine.

“When you are a kid, you make mistakes. At 14 or 15 you will say something and it gets thrown back at you seven years later. He understands his comments aren’t acceptable. He will learn from that and he will move on.”

Choudhury has made 19 appearances for Leicester after emerging from the club’s youth system.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump will bestow the award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on the golfing great in the White House Rose Garden.

The 43-year-old Woods won the Masters in April for his 15th major title, his first since the 2008 US Open.

Trump, an avid golfer and owner of several courses around the world, tweeted his congratulations following the epic win at Augusta.

“Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM,” Trump said.

Established by John F. Kennedy in 1963, the honor is bestowed upon those who have made an “especially meritorious” contribution to US security or national interests, world peace, cultural pursuits or other non-specified endeavors.

It has been awarded to nearly three dozen sports figures including American golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, who were honored by president George W. Bush.

Barack Obama gave the award in 2014 to Charlie Sifford, the first African-American golfer to play on the PGA Tour.

Woods has golfed with Trump on several occasions, most recently in February at the president’s course in Jupiter, Florida.

Teeing off alongside them was the 79-year-old Nicklaus and Trump tweeted a picture of the three together on the course.

– ‘Respect the office’ –

Woods was asked last year about his relationship with Trump, who has been engaged in an ongoing feud with a number of African-American basketball and football stars.

“Well, I’ve known Donald for a number of years,” Woods said. “We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together. I’ve known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency.

Woods said the important thing was to respect the office of the presidency, regardless of who happened to be occupying the White House.

Trump welcomed Woods’ remarks with a tweet.

“The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn’t want to say,” Trump said. “Tiger wouldn’t play the game – he is very smart. More importantly, he is playing great golf again!”

Woods stunned the sporting world last month by completing an epic comeback from spinal fusion surgery to capture the Masters.

The win put him firmly back in pursuit of the all-time record of 18 major wins by Nicklaus.

A 2009 sex scandal followed by knee and back injuries that required seven operations led to a prolonged wait to add another major title to his honors.

Three other athletes have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump — American football players Alan Page and Roger Staubach and — posthumously — baseball great Babe Ruth.

With only second place in Ligue 1 certain to join PSG in next season’s Champions League group stage, Lille’s trip to Lyon on Sunday could define their campaign.

Lille have enjoyed an extraordinary campaign and have held second place since early December, inspired by the brilliance of Ivory Coast forward Nicolas Pepe, who Lyon tried to buy back in August and who has scored 20 league goals this season.

Christophe Galtier’s team are currently six points ahead of Lyon with a superior goal difference, so a victory for them at the Groupama Stadium would put them out of reach with only three games left after this weekend.

“We are having a great run and we need to make it exceptional by putting in a great performance at Lyon,” said Galtier after his team’s 5-0 trouncing of Nimes last week.

A first appearance in the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition since 2012/13 is the goal for Lille, while for Lyon missing out on the Champions League is unthinkable.

They must at least hold onto third, which will take them into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, although it could also take them straight to the group stage depending on who wins the Europa League.

They have won both matches since coach Bruno Genesio confirmed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, but their priority for now has to be holding off great rivals Saint-Etienne, who lie just three points adrift in fourth.

Saint-Etienne may be historically France’s most successful club, yet they have not finished in the top three since 1982. If they can do so this time, pipping Lyon would be the icing on the cake for their fans.

Les Verts do at the very least look set to qualify for the Europa League, lying five points ahead of Marseille and Montpellier before going to Monaco on Sunday.

The principality club have endured a torrid season, but they came back from 2-0 down to draw at Rennes on Wednesday thanks to a Radamel Falcao brace, moving them four points clear of the relegation zone.

– Neymar, Mbappe in hot water  –

Meanwhile, PSG suffered their third defeat in their last four league games when they were beaten 3-2 at Montpellier in midweek, on the back of their French Cup final defeat on penalties against Rennes.

They may be champions again, but their campaign began to disintegrate with their exit from Europe against Manchester United in March.

They host Nice on Saturday, although their build-up to that game has been overshadowed by the threat of lengthy suspensions hanging over Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The duo have both been nominated for France’s player of the year award along with teammate Angel Di Maria, Lille star Pepe and Rennes maverick Hatem Ben Arfa.

However, Mbappe was sent off in the Cup final for a dreadful tackle on Rennes defender Damien Da Silva, while Neymar is in hot water after being filmed hitting a fan who provoked the Brazilian as he went up to collect his runners-up medal.

The end of the season cannot come soon enough for PSG, but they can still match their own league record points tally of 96 if they win their remaining games.

“We can’t play four crap matches,” warned defender Marquinhos.

“We are the champions, we have to put in good performances, enjoy ourselves and make our fans happy.”

Fixtures (kick-offs GMT)

Friday

Strasbourg v Marseille (1845)

Saturday

Paris Saint-Germain v Nice (1500), Bordeaux v Angers, Guingamp v Caen, Reims v Nimes (all 1800)

Sunday

Montpelliers v Amiens, Nantes v Dijon, Toulouse v Rennes (all 1300), Monaco v Saint-Etienne (1500), Lyon v Lille (1900)

Valencia’s bright start at the Emirates on Thursday was rewarded with Mouctar Diakhaby’s away goal.

But Alexandre Lacazette quickly turned the game around with two goals in eight first-half minutes before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s late strike gave Arsenal a two-goal advantage to defend at the Mestalla on May 9.

However, Emery, who managed Valencia between 2008 and 2012, knows the tie is far from over due to Arsenal‘s terrible away record this season.

“It is a good result at home, but the second leg is going to be very difficult and maybe different. I consider for both teams it is 50-50,” said Emery.

“We can be proud of the players. It is not easy to be calm and come back with that result against this team.”

Arsenal are desperate not just for silverware in Emery’s first season but the guarantee of Champions League qualification for next season that winning the Europa League would bring.

“We want to win the Europa League to go straight to the Champions League but also to win a trophy,” said Lacazette.

“We want to finish in the top four in the Premier League and if we can go to Baku (for the Europa League final) it will be special.”

A run of three straight Premier League defeats has left Emery’s men needing more favours from Chelsea or Tottenham to stand any chance of Champions League qualification via a top-four Premier League finish.

The Gunners had conceded three times in all three of those defeats to Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester and the same defensive deficiencies cost them again early on.

Valencia had already missed a glorious chance to take the lead when Ezequiel Garay blazed over before Diakhaby forced the ball home at the back post for the vital away goal on 11 minutes.

Emery has been reticent to start Lacazette and Aubameyang together up front, but the game turned on one moment of magic from Arsenal‘s two prolific strikers.

Lacazette played in Aubameyang and the Gabon international left his marker and Valencia goalkeeper Neto on the ground before squaring for his strike partner to roll into an empty net.

Seven minutes later, Arsenal led as terrible defending allowed Lacazette a free header from Granit Xhaka’s cross and a weak hand from Neto could not prevent the ball crossing the line.

“We had the game completely in control until their first goal,” lamented Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.

“We played against two strikers that are very good which is why they cost the millions that they did. With the slightest error they punish you.”

Lacazette missed two glorious opportunities to complete his hat-trick as he firstly failed to connect with an inch-perfect Aubameyang cross before Neto made a brilliant save at his near post to keep the Spanish side in the tie.

At the other end Petr Cech also had to make a smart stop as he raced from his goal to deny substitute Kevin Gameiro.

The veteran stopper has announced he will retire at the end of the season.

And Cech’s final game could well be against his former club Chelsea in next month’s final as the Blues secured a 1-1 draw away at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the other semi-final.

Arsenal still have work to do, but they moved much closer to booking their trip to Baku when Aubameyang turned home at the back post in the final minute.

Jurgen Klopp’s men face a tricky trip to Newcastle on Saturday, two days before Pep Guardiola’s City host Leicester, with just one point separating the pair.

Below them, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United remain in the hunt to secure the remaining two top-four places despite stuttering form.

And at the bottom of the table, Cardiff’s Premier League future is hanging by a thread as they prepare to host Crystal Palace.

AFP Sports looks at the state of play in the Premier League ahead of the penultimate weekend of the competition.

The title race

It is advantage City in arguably the greatest Premier League title race in history with neither side having dropped points for two months.

Defending champions City, after 12 straight wins, are on 92 points, one clear of relentless Liverpool, who have lost just once in the league all season.

Defeat for Liverpool at Newcastle, managed by former Reds’ boss Rafael Benitez, would give City the chance to wrap up the title on Monday.

But a win would put Liverpool back on top for at least 48 hours and put the pressure back on Guardiola’s team, who take on a Leicester side chasing European football and fresh from thrashing Arsenal 3-0 last weekend.

“I think mentally we shouldn’t be affected,” Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk said after his side’s valiant performance in Barcelona was ruined by two late Messi goals to seal a 3-0 Champions League semi-final, first leg win for the Spanish champions.

“I won’t be. It was a tough game but we have a big game at the weekend and we are still in the race. We want the same performance without conceding the goals.”

Top-four battle

The race for the remaining two slots in the Premier League top four, which gives entry to next season’s Champions League, is the one nobody apparently wants to win.

None of the challengers managed a win last weekend, meaning Tottenham still lead the way on 70 points, two head of Chelsea.

Arsenal, who have lost their past three league games, are on 66 points, with Manchester United, still in the race despite a woeful run of form, a further point behind.

Europa League

Fifth and sixth spot offers the consolation of Europa League football, but so too could seventh if City beat Watford in the FA Cup final next month.

Wolves are in the driving seat to be the best of the rest outside the top six in their first season back in the top flight with 54 points, three ahead of Leicester and four clear of Everton and Watford.

Relegation

Fulham and Huddersfield have already fallen through the relegation trap door and Cardiff could join them this weekend.

Neil Warnock’s side are on 31 points, four adrift of Brighton in 17th spot and with a significantly poorer goal difference.

However, the Seagulls have to face Arsenal and Manchester City in their final two games, offering Warnock hope.

“We’ve got Palace and Man United, and we’ll just go and try and do our best,” Warnock said after last week’s defeat at Fulham. “We’re not out of it yet. You just don’t know in football.”

Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)

Friday

Everton v Burnley (1900)

Saturday

Bournemouth v Tottenham (1130), West Ham v Southampton, Wolves v Fulham, Cardiff v Crystal Palace (1630), Newcastle v Liverpool (1845)

Sunday

Chelsea v Watford (1300), Huddersfield v Manchester United (1300), Arsenal v Brighton (1530)

Monday

Manchester City v Leicester (1900)