Arsenal winners and losers in Lens thrashing as Kai Havertz revival gathers pace
Arsenal brushed off any lingering fears about Champions League knockout qualification by blitzing Lens inside the opening 30 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.
A 2-2 draw between Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven in the early kick-off meant Mikel Arteta's side weren't absolutely assured of a spot in the last 16. Any early nerves were settled in short order, though, with Kai Havertz opening the scoring in the 13th minute before Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli added further goals.
Lens tried in vain to fight back, with Facundo Medina firing against David Raya's left-hand post. It was five at the break, though, through a fifth different scorer, as Martin Odegaard volleyed home.
Little changed in a quieter second half, as a Jorginho penalty added gloss and Arsenal secured top spot in their group with the victory. Here, Mirror Football has picked out three winners and two losers after an easy 90 minutes for the Gunners.
Winners
Kai Havertz
What's that saying about London buses? Oh yes, they're red and they take you where you want to go - in this case into the knockout rounds.
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Fresh off his first open play goal of the season on Saturday, Kai Havertz got his second inside 15 minutes on Wednesday. It came from the kind of late run many Arsenal fans hoped he'd be making more of, and which Chelsea fans probably anticipated themselves in 2020.
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Kai Havertz set the wheels in motion for Arsenal (Toyin Oshodi/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)Not only was it goals in back-to-back games, but it was go-ahead goals in the two fixtures. It's far too early to completely reevaluate the signing of Havertz, but he's been making an impact where it matters.
Gabriel Jesus
After a frustrating game against Brentford, Gabriel Jesus' comments about scoring goals came into focus. We needn't have been worried.
The Brazilian's first-half goal was the kind number nines score for top teams. The effortlessness of it, coupled with ruthlessness, made you wonder why he indeed hadn't scored more like it.
Gabriel Jesus kept up his Champions League scoring run (Getty Images)That makes it four Champions League goals this season, and two against Lens. The next challenge is doing in in the league, where the late clincher against Manchester United in September is all he's produced in more than 400 minutes.
Mikel Arteta
Even in Mikel Arteta's wildest dreams, he can't have imagined such a healthy lead at the break. The advantage allowed him to ring the changes at half-time, with the boss handing rests to Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Everything went to plan for Mikel Arteta (Michael Zemanek/REX/Shutterstock)What's more, Arsenal are now assured of top spot in their group thanks to the victory. While the manager has been reluctant to rotate at times, a dead rubber game where neither team's position can change is surely the ideal scenario in which to give minutes to fringe players.
Bukayo Saka also got a bit of a rest - a rarity for the England star - with Reiss Nelson playing the last 25 minutes. It will be interesting to see how much the manager shuffles his pack at home to PSV in December.
Losers
Franck Haise
Lens' hopes were dashed before the break (ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Going into this game, Lens had gone eight games unbeaten in Ligue 1. Perhaps that brought some complacency, because his team conceded more than twice as many in 45 minutes as in the previous 720 in the league.
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That unbeaten domestic run might have helped relieve some pressure on boss Franck Haise after a tough start to the season, but the manner of this loss will have stung. Lens still have Europa League qualification in their hands, with just a point needed against Sevilla in the final group game, but their Champions League knockout dream is over.
Gary O'Neil
Gary O'Neil's Wolves are Arsenal's next opponents (Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)With his Wolves team facing Arsenal next time out, Gary O'Neil will have been hoping - at the very least - for Arsenal to be given a real workout. Instead, the opposite was the case.
O'Neil's Bournemouth came close to a famous win at the Emirates Stadium last season, only for the Gunners to score three times in the final half hour to go from 0-2 to 3-2. His current club, meanwhile, lost both league games to Arteta's men by a combined 7-0 scoreline.
It was a former Arsenal man who downed Wolves last time out, with Willian scoring a last-minute penalty winner for Fulham. After a welcome rest for the current Arsenal crop, O'Neil must be fearing more of the same.
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