Arsenal marched one step closer to a top-eight finish in the Champions League league phase as they registered a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.
It was far from a classic at the Emirates Stadium, as Mikel Arteta’s side looked to control their way towards victory.
An early lead put Arsenal in a commanding position, with Declan Rice firing in an opener in the first few minutes of the match.
The home side’s grip on the Champions League top-eight space tightened in the second half as Kai Havertz scored to double the lead.
A stoppage-time third came as the icing on the cake, with Martin Odegaard tapping home from close-range.
After the victory, some players will have come off better or worse than when they went into it, so here’s a look at a few winners and losers in the squad following the match.
Three winners from Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb
Kai Havertz
Having struggled in recent weeks, the win over Dinamo Zagreb proved to be a fruitful one for Kai Havertz.
The German international picked up a goal and an assist, showing off his intelligence to lay-up Declan Rice for the opener and heading home to double the lead.
Having faced plenty of questions over his ability, Havertz silenced the doubters and has started to find some form again.
There will be some hope that the forward can continue that, regardless of whether a new striker joins in January or not.
Jakub Kiwior
Another player facing questions over his future is Jakub Kiwior, with links recently stating a potential exit could be on the cards for the defender.
In a show of faith, Mikel Arteta gave him the nod to start at centre-back after the injury suffered by William Saliba.
With a couple of interventions and a largely comfortable evening, it was one that the Poland international could see as a big win.
It perhaps backs up the reason Arsenal have rejected a transfer exit for Kiwior over the January window.
Gabriel Martinelli
Back on the left flank this time, Gabriel Martinelli really stepped up to be at his impressive best for the Gunners.
The Brazilian got his head up, driving at the opposition defence to make the most of his skillset that involves largely pace.
There will be some hope that the star can continue to take that into the other matches, getting on the front foot as soon as possible.
Two losers from Arsenal win over Dinamo Zagreb
Martin Odegaard
Perhaps not at his fluid best and struggling to create many clear cut chances, it was another quiet evening for Martin Odegaard.
The club captain has struggled to carve opposition open in recent weeks, though the match was far from being a quick, fast-paced encounter.
He did manage to land a stoppage time clincher though, arriving late to tap in a tempting cross from Leandro Trossard – his first goal in 13 appearances.
With another victory confirmed though, there will be some hope that he can hit those performance levels again soon.
Raheem Sterling
There were some sparks for Raheem Sterling in the match, as the forward started on the right flank for Arsenal.
However, he wasn’t able to provide that consistent threat required, despite recent promising performances.
It wasn’t helped by the impact made by Ethan Nwaneri off the bench, with the youngster now back and battling for his position on the right.
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