This was an evening of milestones for Arsenal and Gabriel Martinelli, although there was no smile broader than Noni Madueke’s. The England forward was subjected to a ridiculous online petition that opposed his move across London from Chelsea in the summer. But on a rare appearance on the right flank as Bukayo Saka was given a welcome rest, Madueke scored a fantastic individual goal before adding a second after half-time to set up a comfortable victory for Mikel Arteta’s side.
It means Arsenal have become only the fifth English team to win their opening six matches of a Champions League or European Cup campaign and now need only a point to rubber stamp their progress directly to the last-16, even if in reality it is already a formality thanks to their superior goal difference.
Martinelli was not to be denied his moment either as the Brazilian’s superb curling effort meant he is the first Arsenal player to have scored in five successive Champions League matches. His compatriot Gabriel Jesus also made his first appearance in almost a year after a cruciate ligament injury, meaning it was pretty much the perfect response that Arteta was looking for after losing their 18-match unbeaten record at Aston Villa.
