Arsenal opened their Europa League campaign with an impressive win in Germany, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in a thoroughly impressive attacking display.
Goals from Joe Willock, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed a strong win for the Gunners, who became the first English team to win at the Commerzbank-Arena.
Frankfurt, who carried a 15-game unbeaten run in Europe at their home before Unai Emery’s teams’ visit, started the game well as Arsenal’s defensive vulnerability began to show.
The Gunners conceded ten shots before the half-hour mark as things looked to be unchanged from the horror show at Vicarage Road last weekend. However, it didn't take long for Arsenal to respond, threatening a similarly weak Frankfurt defence.
Arsenal’s midfield gain control
As the game progressed so did Arsenal’s performance, with the midfield looking solid thanks to the presence of Granit Xhaka.
The Swiss midfielder has already taken some strong criticism this season for a series of sluggish performances, but Thursday night proved the doubters wrong. Indeed, an impressive display in both defence and attack laid the foundations for Arsenal's success in Germany.
Another player impressed in midfield as 20-year-old Willock stepped up and opened the scoring for his side. The youngster was dominant in a more advanced position than usual and linked well with man-of-the-match Saka.
Incredible Saka fuelled the Gunners
The 2001 born winger showed fans a glimpse of what is available in their academy, contributing to all three goals by providing two assists and a venomous goal to gift Arsenal their second.
It wasn’t just the clear talent of Saka that was impressive, but his attitude and desire to make an impact in the game. His assist for Willock’s goal was a fine example of his hunger, battling to take the ball up the pitch before laying the ball on for the goal-scorer.
Such desire and relentlessness in his playing style is something that the current Arsenal squad is crying out for, with some players showing a flippant attitude. An 18-year-old with the passion and desire to make a breakthrough at the club is exactly what is required to test those that show complacency from time to time.
Significant clean sheet for The Gunners
When the team news was announced, the partnership of a shaky David Luiz and the out-of-favour Shkodran Mustafi was surprising. However, Arsenal showed a sense of awareness in defence that’s rarely seen. They were well marshalled and made strong decisions when threatened by set pieces and the presence of the ever goal hungry Bas Dost.
A good defensive performance was matched with a fantastic performance for Emiliano Martinez between the posts. The 27-year-old had recently spoken out about his desire to become Arsenal’s No.1 after eight years at the club.
Martinez made some strong saves in the first half to keep the score at 0-0 and will be hoping his display helps to aid his challenge on Bernd Leno for the No.1 spot.
Ahead of the weekend, it’s important for Arsenal to build upon what was a refreshingly positive performance in Frankfurt against Aston Villa, who are desperate to build upon some unlucky results from strong performances in the last few weeks.