LONDON — If Mikel Arteta had been making a checklist of what Arsenal needed from Dinamo Zagreb’s to the Emirates Stadium. it might have looked a little something like this: the three points that would take them to the brink of the round of 16, some goal involvements for the forwards who have struggled of late and, double-underlined for emphasis, no injuries.
He got the lot. Goals and assists shared around Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard took Arsenal to a 3-0 win that has them third in the Champions League table and — barring the unlikely event that the hit to Gabriel’s knee in the first half was more than just a fleeting pain — no fresh injuries to add to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s late withdrawal. Nice and easy. Leave the drama to Manchester City. The Emirates has had enough of it of late.
No wonder regulars had opted to stay away, small patches of empty seats gradually filled. Five home games in 16 days will do that to you. Those who did trickle in late soon found that Arsenal were in the immediate ascendancy. The opener was the sort of goal they have been craving for weeks, precise interplay in the penalty area rewarded in emphatic fashion. Martinelli drove down the left, delivering a first-time cross off his weaker foot. Havertz had his man posted up, rather than try to manufacture something for himself with his back to goal, he quickly made the straightforward choice, setting the ball up nicely for Rice. A low drive left Ivan Nevestic without a chance.
That one moment wasn’t enough to solve all Arsenal’s finishing troubles though. Havertz and Raheem Sterling still seemed intent on taking one touch too many in the penalty area. Martinelli drove too close to Nevestic after Odegaard drew in two defenders with his left boot and sent them packing with a flick of his right. Gabriel even contrived to flick another good-headed opportunity wide. Yes, yes, headers are always worth less xG than you think but when it comes to deliveries off dead balls big Gabi has been at full Erling Haaland, break the model capacity over the last few years.
This also proved to be a night for Arsenal to let the errors out, what few there were in their system. Twice in a matter of minutes, Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior allowed their pockets to be picked, the latter’s performance on the whole doing little to dispel Arteta’s robust suggestion yesterday that he needs a right footer at right center back.
Still, Dinamo were hardly about to punish them. Even when David Raya picked out a blue shirt on the edge of his own box, Fabio Cannavaro’s side were unable to craft a decent shooting opportunity. For once, that seemed to speak less to the outstanding defensive qualities of Arsenal, more to their opponent’s underpowered attack. A 15-minute defensive masterclass from their new coach at halftime meant that the visiting Croats didn’t ever look like shipping nine goals as they did in Munich earlier in this competition. You were left wondering how on earth they had scored two though … even against Dayot Upamecano.
Dinamo’s hope was that Arsenal might indulge their tendency to play 3-0 football at 1-0. For the first 20 minutes of the second half, it looked like they might, the hosts keeping the shots suppressed on both sides. This time, however, Arteta’s men only needed two. Another fine cross from Martinelli and this time Havertz was positioned to try himself this time. His header flicked beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.
For a center forward who has seen his suitability so widely questioned over recent weeks, a second goal in as many games was just what he needed, as was the 15 minutes of rest he earned himself at the end. In the long term Arsenal may well be able to do better at striker than Havertz but 14 goals from 30 appearances this season is not to be sniffed at. Perhaps his recent run of misses were little more than to be expected from a tired player who had rushed back from illness to play every minute going.
Havertz is not the only attacker to have struggled to find the net of late. Odegaard’s delighted thump of the ball after turning in Leandro Trossard’s deflected cross spoke of how much he needed his fourth goal of the season.
All the way to the final whistle, Rice continued to bustle his way commandingly in the left eight-channel, blotting out attacks at one end before driving towards the final third soon after. He should have had another, flicking Ethan Nwaneri’s fine cross wide, but this was the sort of dynamic performance in the position that should have Arsenal fans salivating over how he might fare with Martin Zubimendi behind him next season.
Of course, there is plenty of football left between now and then, not least the round of 16 that Arsenal have all but assured themselves of qualification for. They could scarcely have done so with greater ease.
