Arsenal have just breezed past Kairat in the Champions League.
It took the Gunners just two minutes to open the scoring. Viktor Gyokeres was sent through on goal by Kai Havertz, and he made no mistake.
A Jorginho penalty levelled the game, but Havertz scored a lovely goal to mark his return. He then turned provider again, this time for Gabriel Martinelli. Kairat pulled one back in the end, but it was too late.
Before all of that even happened, Mikel Arteta did something very, very rare.
Who was Arsenal’s Man of the Match vs Kairat Almaty?
Mikel Arteta made 11 Arsenal changes for just the second time ever vs Kairat
Arteta has been at the helm at Arsenal for over six years now.
The Gunners boss has had several players at his disposal over the years, and he often had opportunities to change things around.
However, Arteta liked keeping certain players in the starting line-up all the time, and that has worked well for him at Arsenal.
The only time the Spaniard made 11 changes to his side from the previous game was in December 2020 – in the Europa League game against Dundalk.
Arteta repeated that for just the second time in his managerial career against Kairat in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Just like against Dundalk, the Arsenal players who were given a start did not disappoint, and they won the game convincingly.
The last time Mikel Arteta made 11 changes to his starting XI. Who was Arsenal’s best player in this lineup?
Dundalk vs Arsenal in December 2020
Mikel Arteta’s biggest Arsenal decision vs Kairat paid off
Making 11 changes to the starting lineup is clearly not something Arteta likes doing, but it worked out for him against Kairat.
The Arsenal manager’s biggest call was to start Havertz for the first time in about a year, and that paid off big time.
The German scored a goal and picked up two assists in a phenomenal first-half display. His combination with Gyokeres was also really encouraging.
It remains to be seen now if Havertz will get another start in the Premier League clash against Leeds United on Saturday.
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