The clearest moment that showcased the dominant performance, which had been methodical to the point of being unemotional, occurred in the final moments of added time. Arsenal had maintained control throughout the match, but suddenly, near their own goal, Lens player Elye Wahi had a good opportunity to chip away at their lead. However, Gabriel Magalhães, who had a relatively easy game until then, shut down the chance with a strong tackle and celebrated in front of the home crowd as if he had scored their seventh goal.
Mikel Arteta was pleased with the moment when Arsenal settled for six goals. It was a powerful display of their focus, which has allowed them to easily secure first place in Group B with one game remaining. The crowd was satisfied with a dominant first half and were even happier when Jorginho scored a late penalty. While the visitors may have hoped for a consolation goal, Gabriel was determined to prevent it. This level of commitment will be crucial when they face tougher opponents in the spring, and Arteta was delighted with the example his players have set.
According to him, when the team displays a positive body language and approaches every action and game with dedication, positive outcomes are inevitable. The team has a strong desire to win and refuses to give up, which is the mindset required for improvement.
The less exciting Europa League Thursdays and empty midweeks feel like a thing of the past. Arsenal made it easy to forget those difficult times, especially with Lens playing poorly and conceding four goals in the first 27 minutes. If PSV Eindhoven hadn’t pulled off a surprising comeback against Sevilla earlier in the evening, Arteta’s team would have already advanced without even playing. As it turned out, they didn’t have to play for long before securing their progress, smoothly dismantling Lens every time they picked up the pace.
In the beginning of the match, Lens did not seem to be in danger. This gave rise to the idea that they may be able to achieve a similar victory as they did eight weeks ago in the opposite match. However, their success did not last long. Kai Havertz, who had recently made an impressive appearance as a substitute against Brentford, started in this match and came close to scoring in the 12th minute with a header that narrowly missed. Despite the passionate support of their red-and-yellow-clad fans, Lens did not take heed of this warning.
Soon after, Gabriel Jesus outmatched Kevin Danso, a taller centre-back, in a battle for a high ball. Jesus headed it down to Havertz who was able to push it past Brice Samba from a short distance. Havertz had reacted quickly, but Danso’s lack of aggression gave Jesus the opportunity to create the scoring chance. This sequence set the tone for the rest of the game.
On the next Arsenal offensive, there was a moment of danger when Danso and Facundo Medina accidentally impeded each other after Bukayo Saka’s pass to Jesus seemed to be blocked. Jesus eventually gained control and cleverly angled his shot, scoring low to Samba’s right. This secured the win and a spot among the top teams in the round of 16.
However, Arsenal continued to attack relentlessly. Havertz, taking advantage of the open spaces created by Lens, received a pass from a long clearance by David Raya and passed it to the charging Gabriel Martinelli. The shot that followed, coming from Martinelli’s preferred position on the left, was powerful but should have been easily saved by Samba. Instead, his attempt to block the shot resulted in the ball bouncing off an unaware Saka, giving him what could possibly be the most unusual goal of his career.
Arteta praised Saka’s recent success in scoring “scrappy goals” and was also happy to see Martinelli do even better four minutes later. Martinelli skillfully dribbled past Przemyslaw Frankowski and then unleashed a powerful shot that Samba had no chance of stopping. Although Lens had a few chances after that, with Raya making a save from Wahi and Medina hitting the post, Ødegaard’s impressive volley from a cross by the outstanding Takehiro Tomiyasu gave the scoreline an almost unbelievable shine at halftime.
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Arteta expressed his disbelief at the ease of their advancement, stating, “I never imagined it would be this smooth. We were able to convincingly defeat a strong opponent and everything fell into place within the first 30 minutes.”
Everyone could have happily ended the day before the second half, which was mostly uneventful except for several player substitutions and the away team’s commendable attempt to keep the energy alive.
Lens had a small opportunity to advance: they can qualify for the knockout stage if they defeat Sevilla at home and Arteta motivates a win at PSV. “We will prepare for the game in the most effective way,” he stated, but the lack of pressure will be a relief. Substitute Jorginho, with a penalty awarded through VAR, briefly raised excitement towards the end and Arsenal could revel in their dominant victory.
Source: theguardian.com
