Saka Brace Sinks Monaco As Arsenal Eye Champions League Last 16

Arsenal moved a step closer to the Champions League last 16 with a 3-0 victory over Monaco on Wednesday thanks to Bukayo Saka’s double.

In the final minutes of Mikel Arteta’s side’s revamped league campaign, Saka scored twice in each half, and Kai Havertz scored in the other.

With only two games left, the Gunners have a shot at winning four of their six European games, which means automatic passage to the last 16.

Play-offs will be held to decide whether a club will advance if it finishes between ninth and 24th in the 36-team first phase.

The north Londoners can expect to avoid that unneeded obstacle with games against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona coming up in January.

Arsenal’s fifth win in their last six games in all competitions came after a harrowing 1-1 draw with Fulham last weekend at Fulham in the Premier League.

With Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis showing no signs of abating, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all absent.

Thomas Partey, a Ghana midfielder, left the starting position at right-back despite missing training on Tuesday.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, came in at left-back for just his second Arsenal start, with his other coming in the League Cup against third-tier Bolton.

Lewis-Skelly rose to the occasion with a composed performance, becoming the youngest player to start an Arsenal Champions League game since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011.

In contrast, Gabriel Jesus has gone 32 games without a goal for Arsenal and the Brazilian’s lack of confidence was clear in the hosts ‘ first dangerous attack.

Jesus should have hit the target after Gabriel Martinelli had picked him up, but he was unable to prevent Monaco goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki with a tense shot that was only able to eluded.

Moments later, Jesus was unable to accurately time his run to Mikel Merino’s teasing cross.

Saka sparkles

With a long-range strike that fizzed just past the far post, Aleksandr Golovin almost nearly outshot Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

When Jesus was forced to make a low shot too close to Majecki, a raking long pass sent him clean through.

The 27-year-old was having a torrid time and, teed up by Martinelli, again he couldn’t beat Majecki with a close-range effort that drew a fine save from the ‘ keeper.

Jesus’ clever movement, however, was at least making Monaco problems, and he was a key part in Arsenal’s 34th-minute opener.

Jesus ran in behind the Monaco defense and delivered a low cross that Saka could tap in for just his fourth goal in his previous six games with a superb pass.

Just before half-time, Martin Odegaard squandered a golden opportunity to give Arsenal the lead when he beat Soungoutou Magassa with a wide shot that Majecki could only beat.

Arsenal should have paid for their tardiness in the opening half, but Thilo Kehrer’s header fired wide from 10 yards.

After the break, Arteta’s men struggled to concentrate, and Takumi Minamino tested Raya before Breel Embolo fired inches wide following poor defending from William Saliba.

However, Arsenal won the game in the 78th minute and won the win.

When Havertz put the “keeper under pressure,” Majecki was unable to clear his lines quickly enough, allowing Saka to direct his close-range shot into the empty net.

With the 88th minute of Havertz turning in Saka’s shot, Arsenal had still time to gloss over the result.

Source: Channels TV