Unai Emery’s Arsenal will return to London from Qarabag after a resounding 3-0 win that saw 3 players get their first goals in the Gunners’ jersey. The scoreline might seem comfortable to Arsenal but the task was anything but and had it not been for a few more than decent saves from Leno, the spoils might have been shared, or worse.
The trip must have been a tricky one but Arsenal was considered the favourites to win the game. Within 4 minutes, experienced Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos scored from point blank range after Monreal headed down the ball to his feet from a corner. Since that goal, it was Qarabag really that seemed more threatening for the rest of the half, bringing out some excellent saves from Leno.
Qarabag did score in the 49th minute of the second half but the assistant’s flag for offside ruled the goal out. 4 minutes later, 18 year old Emile Smith-Rowe scored his first senior goal for the club, scoring from a lovely assist from Alex Iwobi. Sealing the deal in the end was Matteo Guendouzi who did quite well not only to get his shot away in a crowded area, but also to score from outside the box with the attempt.
Arsenal’s next task will be away to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, a game that shouldn’t be much of a problem for them, although it might turn out to be a tricky encounter.
Watch match highlights here :
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