A Nicklas Bendtner hat-trick helped Arsenal thrash Porto 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium to triumph 6-2 on aggregate and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Bendtner grabbed both first-half goals before a moment of brilliance from Samir Nasri and finish from substitute Emmanuel Eboue ended a nervous opening to the second period.
And Bendtner, who came under fire at the weekend for missing several chances against Burnley, secured his first career treble from the penalty spot in injury-time.
It was the most emphatic way for the tall Dane to answer his critics: not only demonstrating again the art of being in the right place at the right time, but also finishing almost every opportunity that fell his way.
Yet there were greater stars shining for the Gunners on an uplifting night in North London. Mercurial Russian Andrei Arshavin was brilliant, putting the opening strikes on a plate as well as the fourth for Eboue, while Nasri had a hand in the first and stunned the 60,000 crowd with a wonderful run and strike to seal the tie.
Owner of Arsenalinsider.com Red member and RVP10 supporter get to Emirates when time and money allow!!! Contact me on rob@arsenalinsider.com
Related articles
leslie crang
after le groves criticism of bendtner does this stop him being a CUNT
ibbs
Fellow gooners,please go and read Dexy den’s blog and have a laugh! It’s written by some prick called Michael somerville. More funnier than the idiots on sky-sports.
ibbs
It’s on UK football finder.
IndianGunner
Now we can safely call Samir Nasri as Little ZIZOU.
keith
Nik was man of the match for his hatrick fair play to him after missinga few against Burnley but for Nasri in the Cesc role was world class the last few games he is getting better and better if we can keep Arshavin Rosicky,Walcott ad Cess fit for the remainde of the season we can beat anyone
acts2vs38 Jesus sav
WOw wat a performance.
anyone thought the referee was generous towards arsenal? :-*
Great game though. We play efficently when fabregas wasnt there. Everyone had to pull their weight
goonamerica
our frustration is that we know arsenal can play like this and seem to have trouble showing it so often. our joy is when they do play like this. don’t forget the half dozen chances created before the first goal was scored. and that is us and bendtner in a nutshell. we might miss a few more than we should but we create a lot more chances than the average. we’re in the middle of the business end of the season now, lets hope we don’t let off the peddle till the third saturday in may!
harper
Maybe he’s among all those others outside England who are appalled at the way Arsenal is treated in the league, after the Ramsey and Eduardo injuries? (The reaction to the Ramsey injury outside England was very sympathetic to Arsenal).
Or maybe we’re so used to referees letting go so many fouls against us that when we finally see a referee calling those fouls, we interpret it as “being generous” towards us?
Zvinei Gwembere
Dexy den how was that 4 a beautiful game, b honest Dexy…..it can never b sexier than that