Arsenal faced Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates Stadium knowing that a victory would all but virtually secure automatic qualification to the last-16 of the Champions League
Myles Lewis-Skelly was missing from the squad but there were rare opportunities for Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the Arsenal defence.
Arsenal got off to the perfect start when a superb cushioned lay-off from Kai Havertz was slammed home by Declan Rice with just two minutes on the clock.
Despite some sloppy moments at the back, Arsenal seized the initiative in the game when a wonderful cross from Gabriel Martinelli was headed home by Havertz.
Martin Odegaard added a late third by arriving late from a Leandro Trossard cross as Arsenal claimed the three points they needed.
Arsenal player ratings vs Dinamo Zagreb
David Raya- 6
Raya did not have a single shot on target to deal with in the game but kept his concentration in the second half to claim a number of crosses under pressure.
Jurrien Timber- 5
Like most of his defensive team mates, Timber was sloppy in possession during the first half and was caught on a couple of occasions – his physicality rescued the situations.
This continued in the second half and a lunge to retrieve a ball from a heavy touch led to a booking. Substituted in the 58th minute.
Jakub Kiwior- 6
Caught on the ball that nearly led to a shot on target for Dinamo Zagreb but on the whole looked composed in possession and did his defensive duties well.
A much-needed confidence boost for Kiwior and it will now be interesting to see whether he keeps his place for the next Premier League clash.
Gabriel Magalhaes- 6.5
Gabriel Magalhaes was his usual commanding presence defensively and dealt with what little attacks were thrown his way.
A constant threat from set-pieces and would have been disappointed not to score from a free header in the first half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko- 7
His quality and technique with the ball has never been in question and Zinchenko showed glimpses of his eye for a killer pass.
Impressively kept his defensive concentration in the second half, making some vital interceptions and clearances.
Jorginho- 5.5
Uncharacteristically sloppy on the ball in the first half, almost sold goalkeeper Raya short with a back pass that nearly led to a Dinamo Zagreb chance.
Screened the back four well in the second half and was always available to receive a pass in little pockets of space to then play forward.
Declan Rice- 8.5
Declan Rice continued his superb recent form for Arsenal by opening the scoring with a powerful strike past the Zagreb goalkeeper Ivan Nevistic.
Covered every blade of grass on the pitch, driving Arsenal forward from midfield and filling in when necessary in defensive situations.
Should have added to his first half goal with a header late on but a performance of real leadership from the England international.
Martin Odegaard- 6.5
A relatively quiet evening for the captain Odegaard, neat and tidy in possession and as usual most attacks began through him.
Struggled to make any real penetrating passes through a stubborn Zagreb defence and at times could have pulled the trigger earlier.
A late venture into the box did earn the skipper a late tap-in to round off a comfortable performance for the Gunners.
Raheem Sterling- 3
Raheem Sterling is a player that is severely lacking in confidence. There was no decisiveness to his actions and often his final ball was poor.
Failed to strike up any connection with Timber down the right hand side and was playing the ball backwards far too often, which broke down any momentum in Arsenal attacks.
Gabriel Martinelli- 8.5
Gabriel Martinelli has found his confidence once again. A brilliant driving run and cross was the catalyst for Arsenal’s opener and the Brazilian was so positive every time he received the ball.
In the second half, Martinelli once again delivered a sumptuous in-swinging cross for Havertz to head home Arsenal’s second.
Kai Havertz- 9
An excellent performance from Kai Havertz, brilliant awareness and technique to cushion a wicked delivery into the path of Rice for the first goal.
His movement was a constant threat to the Dinamo defenders and deservedly got on the scoresheet with a thumping header from Martinelli’s delicious cross.
Substitutes-
Thomas Partey- 6
Neat and tidy in possession and did whatever little defensive duties much better than his last performance against Aston Villa.
Ethan Nwaneri- 5.5
Struggled to get up to pace with the game initially following a spell in the physio room. Brought the crowd to their feet with an excellent piece of defending late on in the game to smother a rare Dinamo counter attack.
Leandro Trossard- 5
Trossard was brought on by Arteta with just 15 minutes to play. The Belgian did not have time to make a real impact in the game.
Kieran Tierney- 5
Tierney was brought on for Zinchenko with 15 minutes to play. He made a few interceptions high up the pitch and kept possession well in the little time he was on the pitch.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji – N/A
Brought on for his senior debut in stoppage time.
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