Arsenal comfortably secured a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League and their place in the knockout rounds is now secured, barring a disaster against Girona on the final day.
The Gunners took an early lead thanks to Declan Rice and were in complete control for the rest of the evening at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz’s 14th goal of the season extended Arsenal’s lead just before the hour mark before captain Martin Odegaard scored his first goal from the game since April to secure a comfortable win.
How the game developed
Dinamo Zagreb were playing competitively for the first time under new head coach Fabio Cannavaro – their 10th permanent boss since April 2020 – and had just two friendlies under their belt since December 22 last year, meaning Arsenal were off to a fast start to lay down.
The Gunners did not disappoint, overcoming the loss of a two-goal lead against Aston Villa on Saturday to take the lead within two minutes.
Gabriel Martinelli created some space on the left and shot a cross into the penalty area, which was skillfully cushioned by the much-maligned Havertz. Rice arrived right on cue and fired a superbly controlled half-volley into Ivan Nevistic’s net.
Arsenal maintained dominance for the first 25 minutes without ever really threatening again, before the visitors got a little more into the game – 21-year-old Martin Baturina, seen by many as Croatia’s long-term heir to Luka Modric, offers an insight his talent on the ball.
The half-time break came and went without any of the goalkeepers being tested again, although Arsenal had all the momentum as Dinamo struggled to keep hold of the ball in the face of an organised, intense press.
It took until the 66th minute for Arsenal to break through Dinamo’s defensive line for the second time, scoring only their third shot on goal. Martinelli was once again the main culprit, hurling a vicious ball into the box that begged Havertz to rise highest and nod home. The German duly obliged and fired the ball past Nevistic to score his 14th goal of the season.
Rice should have made it three ten minutes later, but he managed to head Ethan Nwaneri’s powerful center wide. This didn’t matter for Arsenal, who scored their third goal in the closing stages of the game through captain Martin Odegaard – the Norwegian converted from close range after good work from substitute Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal now just need to avoid a disaster against Girona and a series of negative results to automatically qualify for the knockout stages.
Check out Arsenal’s 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb player ratings here.
There is constant discussion on social media and among pundits that Arsenal need to sign an attacking striker who can consistently score the goal.
That’s a statement that’s objectively true – Arsenal occasionally struggle to score goals, and at times they seem to lack the killer instinct normally associated with a striker playing on the shoulder of the last defender.
But in Kai Havertz, who is usually tasked with doing the work up front, they have a really consistent player. The German prepared Rice’s goal superbly and then finished the game with his 14th goal of the season.
He has now scored more goals this season than Ollie Watkins, Nicolas Jackson, Rasmus Hojlund, Lautaro Martinez and Dusan Vlahovic – a selection of some of Europe’s best strikers – and will most likely pass the 20-goal mark by the time the season ends.
Arsenal’s build-up play was criticized in the absence of the injured Bukayo Saka, lacking creativity and relying on set-pieces.
Saka was undoubtedly missed and it is no exaggeration to say that the loss of their talisman disrupted the Gunners’ flow of play. To be honest, that’s what would happen to Liverpool if they lost Mohamed Salah, and it’s already happened to Manchester City without Kevin De Bruyne.
The good news is that Gabriel Martinelli appears to be returning to form on the left flank, seemingly with renewed energy and ready to take on the burden of responsibility alongside Martin Odegaard. An assist was the least the Brazilian’s performance deserved here and it would be a surprise if there wasn’t more to come in the near future.
This felt like a night where Raheem Sterling really needed to make a statement. A night to prove to Arteta that he really has something to offer, a night to prove to Arteta that he deserves more minutes and certainly a night to prove to Arteta that 17 year old Ethan Nwaneri is in the World should not be above him pecking order.
Unfortunately for the 30-year-old, it wasn’t to be. Sterling’s evening lasted just 58 minutes and consisted of 33 touches of the ball and four dribbles, two of which were successful. He also attempted three crosses, but none found an Arsenal teammate. It was the same for the four-time Premier League winner, who lacked any confidence.
On this evidence, there is little reason for Arteta to believe Sterling can help him lead Arsenal to the Premier League and possibly Champions League title, and cynically he takes a domestic loan spot that is probably better elsewhere could be used.