Arsenal ended Sporting CP’s home record in style with a 5-1 win in the Champions League.
What an evening it was for the Gunners as Mikel Arteta’s side thrashed the same Sporting side that Pep Guardiola issued a warning about.
Martin Odegaard stunned against Sporting alongside several Arsenal stars as the North Londoners recorded five different goalscorers in Lisbon.
Gabriel Martinelli broke Arsenal’s European away curse after just six minutes before Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard finished the job.
Sporting CP misjudged Arsenal
Given how Sporting had demolished Manchester City just weeks prior to Arsenal’s visit, there was a sense of the Gunners heading into the game as the underdogs.
Added to that, Arteta’s side’s away form in Europe was questioned before kick-off, doubts that were all ousted by the time 90 minutes was up.
Prior to the game, former Wolves loanee Francisco Trincao faced the media, where he gave an honest assessment of Arsenal.
“We ended up studying the last game we played against them, because Arsenal haven’t changed much from then to now,” the winger declared.
Trincao was referring to Sporting’s 2023 Europa League win over the Gunners, which we know was an astoundingly different set-up to what is familiar at the Emirates now.
That season was the first that Arsenal informed Europe that they were back on track as a side that lacked maturity and identity were knocked out of the Europa League by Ruben Amorim’s squad.
Trincao did go on to acknowledge the personnel changes in Arsenal’s squad however, that’s a minimal part of the Gunners’ changes since the 2022/23 campaign.
“There are differences; because the players have changed and we are also looking a lot at the individual qualities of the new players,” he said.
Arsenal embarrassed Sporting CP
It was a totally dominant display from Arsenal despite Arteta questioning one element of the Sporting victory.
The same Sporting side that pulled Manchester City apart were humiliated by the Gunners at home both performance-wise and in matters away from the game.
| Arsenal performance vs Sporting CP |
| 48% possession |
| 3.89 xG |
| 13 shots |
| 3 corners |
Gabriel mocked Viktor Gyokeres with his celebration, mimicking the striker’s famed mask routine after putting the visitors 3-0 up.
As well as the Brazilian’s method of celebrating, Arsenal drove Sporting off the pitch as some unlikely stars shone in rarely-seen areas.
Saka’s defensive shift against Sporting deserves praise, as the hosts simply could not get a look in around any area of the pitch due to Arteta’s tactical dominance.
It’s a much-needed three points for the Gunners in Europe, pushing Arsenal up to seventh in the Champions League table after Tuesday’s action.
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