Football news - Emile Smith Rowe, Matteo Guendouzi score as Arsenal secure eighth straight win
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ByEurosport
Updated 05/10/2018 at 06:53 GMT
Europa League, Group E, Baki Olympiya Stadionu - Qarabag FK 0 Arsenal 3 (Papastathopoulos 4, Smith Rowe 53, Guendouzi 79)
Arsenal's players celebrate a goal
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal teenager Emile Smith Rowe scored on his Europa League debut as Unai Emery's side overcame Qarabag to maintain their 100 per cent winning record Group E at the Baki Olympiya Stadionu.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos also netted his first goal for the club as the Gunners recorded an eighth consecutive victory, but they didn't have it all their own way in Azerbaijan despite the comfortable scoreline.
The Greece international - playing at the heart of Arsenal's back-three - broke the deadlock in fortuitous circumstances after just four minutes when he diverted Nacho Monreal's header into the back of the net with a lucky deflection off his thigh.
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Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives instructions to Mesut Ozil of Arsenal as he prepares to come on during the UEFA Europa League Group E match between Qarabag FK and Arsenal at on October 4, 2018 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Image credit: Getty Images
Qarabag fought back well and the Gunners had the impressive Bernd Leno to thank for bailing out his unsettled defence with a couple of smart saves before the half-time break.
Emery changed to a flat-back four at the interval, but Qarabag started the second period on the front foot and had a goal chalked off for offside.
Eighteen-year-old Smith Rowe, who was one of nine changes for the visitors, produced a driving performance and doubled Arsenal's lead against the run of play after good work from Alex Iwobi.
It proved to be the pivotal moment in the match as Qarabag heads dropped and Arsenal were able to extend their lead further when Matteo Guendouzi joined the first-time goalscorer club with a low shot from the edge of the box.
The clinical showing sees Arsenal remain top of the group and they are next in Europa League action at Sporting on October 25.
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Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe scores their second goal
Image credit: Reuters
TALKING POINT
For the first time under Emery Arsenal started with a three-man defence, but did it work? The Spaniard wasn't convinced as he changed to a flat back-four after the break. From an attacking point of view the back-three allowed Arsenal to get more bodies forward, but defensively Emery's side were left exposed in the wide areas. If Emery is to experiment with the formation again then there is certainly more work to be done on the training ground. The concern is that a better team would have punished their fragilities at the back.
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Arsenal manager Unai Emery gestures during the match
Image credit: Reuters
MAN OF THE MATCH
Bernd Leno (Arsenal): The German is making the most of the opportunity handed to him after Petr Cech's unfortunate injury. He was alert to make two or three important saves and without him the score-line may have looked very different.
PLAYER RATINGS
Qarabag: Vagner 5, Guseynov 5, Medvedev 5, Rzezniczak 5, Agoli 7, Garayev 6, Michel 6, Madatov 6, Ozobic 6, Zoubir 6, Emeghara 6. Subs: Abdullayev 5, Delarge 5, Slavchev N/A
Arsenal: Leno 8, Holding 6, Sokratis 6, Monreal 5, Lichtsteiner 6, Guendouzi 8, Elneny 7, Kolasinac 7, Iwobi 7, Smith Rowe 8, Welbeck 6. Subs: Torreira 6, Ozil 4, Lacazette 5.
KEY MOMENTS
4' - GOAL! Qarabag 0-1 Arsenal: The Gunners are off and running but not without a huge slice of luck! The corner delivery is met by Monreal whose header is heading straight down the centre of goal but it takes a lucky deflection off Sokratis and ends in the back of the net.
27' - QARABAG CHANCE! Once more the hosts form an attack from the flank and they go close to scoring an equaliser! Madatov comes in off the left, sells Monreal a nutmeg before drilling a low shot aimed for Leno's near post. But the Arsenal goalkeeper throws himself to ground and makes the save.
49' - QARABAG GOAL RULED OUT! Alarm bells ought to be ringing in Emery's ear - Arsenal get away with one. They try to play the ball out from defence but lose possession. Madatov slips through Emeghara who finishes with aplomb but it won't count as he had strayed marginally offside.
53' - GOAL! Qarabag 0-2 Arsenal: The hosts are struck by an Arsenal sucker-punch and it's the teenager Smith-Rowe who strikes it! Iwobi drives through the middle of the park before feeding the youngster with a lovely pass and he finishes with a well-taken shot which nestles into the bottom corner.
79' - GOAL! Qarabag 0-3 Arsenal: Three goals from three different first-time goalscorers! The goalkeeper doesn't cover himself in glory as he gets a hand to Guendouzi's strike from outside the box but isn't able to keep it out. Arsenal won't care, they are strolling to an eighth consecutive victory now.
KEY STATS
- Arsenal have won eight consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since April 2015 (nine games in that run).
- FK Qarabag have lost each of their last four games in the Europa League, their worst ever run in the competition.
- 20 different players have scored for Arsenal in the Europa League since the start of last season (excl. own-goals), nine more than any other team.
- Sokratis became the first player to score a goal for Arsenal in any competition who never played a competitive game under former boss Arsene Wenger since Glenn Helder in January 1996.
- Nacho Monreal has registered two assists in his last three games in all competitions for Arsenal, as many as he managed in his previous 61.
- Emile Smith-Rowe (18y 67d) is the youngest player to score for Arsenal in a competitive game since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Olympiakos in September 2011 (18y 43d). Blossom.
- With Sokratis, Smith-Rowe and Mattéo Guendouzi all getting on the scoresheet for Arsenal, all three scorers netted their first competitive goals for the club in the game.
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