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Arsenal took a step towards qualifying for the Champions League last 16 when Bukayo Saka played in the win over Sevilla before limping off late on.
Saka set up Leandro Trossard’s first goal before scoring his own as the Gunners cruised to a 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium that leaves them on the cusp of the round of 16.
Mikel Arteta opted to place Trossard in midfield as a centre-forward with Eddie Nketiah joining Gabriel Jesus in the therapy room, with the Belgian striker being the only replacement from Saturday’s debatable defeat at Newcastle.
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There was no such drama here, 4 early fouls on Saka went unpunished and Nemanja Gudelj and Kike Salas made their mark on the England international.
Kai Havertz, who has not scored a goal in open play since his £65m transfer from Chelsea in the summer, swelled his lines with an early header but Arsenal made their aim clear from the start.
Saka’s back fell under Salas’ close contact, but this time Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs remained unfazed as the hosts sought a penalty.
Moments later, however, the impasse was lifted. Unsurprisingly, the lively Saka gave Trossard a hand to score, but Jorginho was the architect with a slide rule pass to start the play.
It proved to be the shot on target in an unforgettable first half, as Sevilla failed to win either in La Liga or the Champions League under coach Diego Alonso since his appointment last month.
Havertz pushed in inches as Arsenal looked for a moment after the break and Trossard deserved to have done more soon after, but his shot went wide of the post.
However, it was Saka who made the difference once again, overcoming the offside trap to lay in a pass from Gabriel Martinelli before cutting through Adria Pedrosa’s inside and heading in with aplomb.
Gabriel Jesus scored the goal and helped Sevilla in Spain a fortnight ago, but he was injured that game and hasn’t played since.
The same happened to Saka, who fell awkwardly and limped with five minutes to go as England manager Gareth Southgate, who will announce his next team on Thursday, watched from the stands.
Arteta had said on the eve of the game that Arsenal “put to bed” qualification for the last 16 with two games remaining and that his players had done their part.
But PSV Eindhoven’s win over Lens leaves Group B open, a draw against the Ligue 1 side at the Emirates Stadium in 3 weeks’ time would be enough for Arteta’s side to advance.