The Europa League quarter-finals kicked off on Thursday with four exciting matches scheduled to take place at 8 pm BST. The first leg of these fixtures provided plenty of thrilling moments as Manchester United, Arsenal, Villarreal and AS Roma all looked to gain an edge in their quarter-final matchups. In the first match of the evening, Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Napoli in a tense encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
Alexandre Lacazette scored the only goal of the game in the 36th minute, latching on to a beautifully weighted pass from Aaron Ramsey before slotting the ball past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret. Arsenal were solid defensively, restricting Napoli to only a handful of chances throughout the match. 
Over in Spain, Villarreal eased past fellow La Liga side Valencia, winning 3-1 in front of their home supporters. The Yellow Submarine were the better side throughout and took the lead in the 11th minute thanks to a penalty from Gerard Moreno. Vicente Iborra and Manu Trigueros added further goals for the home side, while Valencia's solitary goal came courtesy of a Daniel Wass free-kick. Manchester United also got off to a winning start in their quarter-final matchup against Barcelona. The Red Devils secured a 1-0 victory courtesy of an early Luke Shaw goal.
The English left-back scored his first-ever goal for United after just 12 minutes, guiding the ball into the back of the net following a powerful run and cross from midfielder Scott McTominay. Barcelona dominated possession for much of the game but failed to create many clear-cut chances, with United goalkeeper David de Gea pulling off a number of impressive saves. 
In the final match of the evening, AS Roma came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Ajax in Amsterdam. The home side took the lead in the 39th minute through Nicolás Tagliafico's header, but Roma equalised just a minute later thanks to an own goal from Ajax defender Joel Veltman. Roma then took the lead in the 53rd minute when Lorenzo Pellegrini scored from the penalty spot, following a foul by Ajax midfielder Lasse Schöne. Overall, it was a fascinating evening of football with plenty of drama and excitement. Arsenal, Villarreal, Manchester United and AS Roma all have the advantage heading into the second leg of their quarter-final matchups in a week's time.However, the ties are far from over, and there is still everything to play for. The Europa League has been an exciting competition this season, with plenty of upsets and surprises along the way. With just four teams left in the competition, the stakes have never been higher.
Fans around the world will be eagerly anticipating the second legs of these exciting quarter-final matchups, as the teams battle it out for a place in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
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