A solid away win against Basel combined with PSG dropping points against Ludogorets vaults Arsenal to the top of the group and into the next round of the Champions League.
It was a solid display with Arsenal cutting through the Swiss champions with precision and ease, despite Arsene Wenger having made six changes from the squad that played last weekend.
Lucas Perez was probably surprised to be included and he didn’t disappoint with his first hat-trick for Arsenal, displaying an opportunistic streak that Arsenal have long needed.
Alex Iwobi added a fourth and the squad could have scored several more goals with a little extra precision.
Basel threatened several times, but lacked the poise in front of goal. Their only goal followed a Holding giveaway and some special play from Doumbia.
Player Ratings:
Ospina 7: In the first half he made a spectacular save off Delgado, who’d been flagged for offside. A drive from Traore just missed the goal which was lucky as Ospina was beaten. He made a good save before halftime from Steffen and quickly grabbed the rebound before Janko pounced. In the second half Basel turned on the pressure, but Ospina, who was busier, did not have a difficult save to make. He had no chance on the goal.
Gabriel 7: A solid game from the Brazilian. Not flashy, but efficient.
Holding 7: An accomplished performance from the youngster. He was culpable on the goal we conceded, but otherwise he was very solid.
Koscielny 7: Another good game from Laurent.
Gibbs 8: A very good game from Kieran who attacked at will down the left flank. Consequently he assisted on the first two goals and was a key in creating the third goal. Only once was he slack on defence.
Xhaka 8: An excellent match from Granit who marshalled the middle and launched a number of attacks. He relished the chance to play in front of his old fans and against his brother.
Ramsey 7: Showed flashes of some of the old problems. Some poor passes, dawdling on the ball, and playing out of position by not defending often enough. He also had some good moments, both defensively and offensively.
Ozil 9: Brilliant display. A great pass setup Gibbs on the second goal and he assisted on Iwobi’s goal. Some of his touches and feints were world class. He really seemed to be enjoying himself out there.
Perez 9: A fine match from Lucas. He was in the right place and he converted every time. Also made some nice moves out on the wing.
Sanchez 8: Another fine match for Alexis, although he was quieter than last weekend. Still he setup the opening goal with a deft chip to Gibbs. His free-kick, which didn’t score, was stunning the way it swerved. Unfortunately it hit the crossbar.
Iwobi 7: Still showed some poor touches and made some poor passes. As the game progressed he seemed to gain confidence and his contribution became more valuable. Scored his first goal of the season and hopefully it will serve as a boost to his season.
Substitutes:
Elneny 7: Played a solid half hour against his old team.
Giroud n/a: He had a half chance which he didn’t convert.
Walcott n/a: He had a couple of runs and chances.