Arsenal have six points after two matches in the Europa League group stages and will travel to Sporting Lisbon next. This was their eighth win in a row in all competitions and there were some clear positives: they were clinical; and several individuals put in fine personal performances, not least 18-year-old Smith-Rowe, as well as Iwobi and Guendouzi. But there were areas of concern, too. They were sloppy at times and defensively they still look fragile, and Emery abandoned his back-three experiment at half-time because it wasn’t working. Still, it was a deserved win and there were more pluses than minuses, with more stringent tests pending.
88 min: Papastathapolous plays a superb long pass from just outside his own box over the Qarabag defence and into the path of Laazette. The French rolls it into the path of Welbec, who tries to guide a curling shot into the top corner from 18 yards. But he spoons it over the bar.
A splendid counter-attacking goal! Welbeck started it by winning the ball just outside his own box. Then Lacazette and Ozil got involved before the German fed Guendouzi, who sidestepped one man at the edge of the area and fired a low shot across the goalkeeper and into the net!
Matteo Guendouzi fires in Arsenal’s third. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Guendouzi celebrates scoring his first senior goal for the Gunners. Photograph: Francois Nel/Getty Images
77 min: Game management breakdown! Emeghara miscontrols after Arsenal’s defence is sliced open by a pass from Delarge. That’s the severalth time something like that has happened. Arsenal have gotten away with some slackness today.
75 min: Arsenal’s remain in game management mode. They’d be happy to just ease their way to full-time. Qarabag are not entirely dispirited but they’re not playing with the verve they had in patches earlier.
72 min: Ozil turns down the chance of a shot from 20 yards in order to allow Arsenal to keep knocking the ball around, almost trolling their increasingly frustrated hosts. Good stuff from the visitors.
68 min: This match isn’t yet dead. Arsenal are in charge but there is still a latent threat from Qarabag. They’re creating opening but haven’t yet shown they have the composure to finish them. In other words, Arsenal are winning but still not particularly convincing defensively.
62 min: Iwobi breaks up a short corner by Qarabag at the edge of his own box and then runs all the way down to the Qarabag one. But he forgets to stop and runs the ball out of play. Shades of Wile E. Coyote there.
The 18-year-old scores his first goal for Arsenal, to given them breathing space and crown a highly encouraging personal performance so far! Iwobi received the ball near the D and slipped it to Smith-Rowe to his right. The youngster took a touch on the run and then slid it under the advancing goalkeeper from eight yards. Way to puncture Qarabag-s second-half vim!
Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe scores their second goal. Photograph: David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters
Smith Rowe celebrates his goal with Alex Iwobi. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
52 min: A lovely pass from central midfield is dropped over the head of Kolasinac in the left-back position. Madatov had darted in on the blindside by miscontrols.
49 min: Arsenal are hustled off the ball in their own half. Emeghara then threads a nice pass through to Madatov, who fires past Leno and into the net. The crowd go wild! Until they see that the linesman’s flag is up for offside. That’s the correct decision. But a serious warning for Arsenal to keep possession better, for starters.
Arsenal substitution: Torreira on, Monreal off. Arsenal have reverted to a back four. Emery has apparently recognised the need to stem the flow of Qarabag attacks down the flanks, especially the left.
Arsenal deserve their lead - given to them early and a little luckily by Papasathopolous - but Qarabag have shown enough promise to suggest this game is far from over. Both sides are most dangerous down their left wings, with Iwobi and Kolasinac combing well for Arsenal while Zoubir and Agolli torment Lichtsteiner down the right. Smith-Rowe has been exciting and influential on the ball but isn’t offering much help to the Swiss defensively.
