Cesc Fabregas singled out Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka for praise after the London side beat Benfica to progress to the next stage in the Europa League.
The tie was evenly poised at 1-1 after the first leg and the gunners won 3-2 in Athens in the second leg on Thursday night to progress.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave his team the lead in the first half but Benfica equalised just before half-time through Diogo Goncalves.
Arsenal were facing a possible exit in the Europa League when Ferreira Silva put Benfica in front in the second half, but Kieran Tierney responded immediately to level the score.
Still needing another goal to go through, Saka delivered a good cross for Aubameyang to convert in the 87th minute and ensure they progressed to the last-16 of the Europa League.
Fabregas – who spent almost a decade at the Emirates – was impressed by Saka’s display for his former team and described the England international as a ‘game-changer’.
He tweeted: ‘Saka is such a good player. Such a maturity and intelligence for his age. Game changer.’
Meanwhile, Aubameyang believes Arsenal ‘showed a lot of character’ to come from behind to beat Benfica and go through to the next phase of the Europa League.
He said: ‘Everyone is happy tonight. This is what gives me power every day, take errors from the past and transform to strength.
‘The team showed a lot of character and we deserved the win. It was a hard game. What we showed tonight will be an example for the future.’
