Arsenal 3-0 AS Monaco: Champions League report 

A brace from Bukayo Saka, and late third from substitute Kai Havertz was enough to help clinch a 3-0 victory over AS Monaco on a cold evening in north London.

A strike in each half from the 23-year-old England international, along with Havertz’s effort helped move the Gunners up to fourth place in the Champions League table, significantly boosting hopes that Mikel Arteta’s side will avoid February’s two dreaded play-off matches.

Included in Arsenal’s starting Xi was 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, who caught the eye with a pugnacious performance, which allied style with grit.

Speaking after the match, a proud Arteta said: “He’s one of our own, 18 years old. He makes his starting debut in the Champions League and he’s just a joy to watch him you know. I

“t’s a privilege to have the opportunity to give a chance to somebody, to start to change his career.

“He certainly took the chance and it’s great that we can trust him, that he can play in this environment and on this level and I was really happy with his performance.”

Arsenal showed their intentions from the start, with Monaco keeper Radolsaw Majecki saving from Gabriel Jesus, after good work between Martin Odgeaard and Gabi Martinelli after only 240 seconds.

Moments later Mikel Merino fizzed the ball across goal but the desperately out of form Jesus opted not to attempt to slide to reach it. 

In a lively opening, the Ligue 1 side swept up the other end and nearly scored after Aleksandr Golovin worked space on the edge of the box, but his neat right-footed effort flew just past David Raya’s post.

On 19 minutes Odegaard fired wide of the far post, and four minutes later fired wide of the far post once again, as the Gunners attempted to break open the Monégasque backline.

If ever an Arsenal striker needed a goal it was Gabriel Jesus, with the out of form attacker bearing down on goal, only for Monaco keeper Radoslaw Majecki to deny the Brazil attacker at the last.

To compound the frustration, Jesus was denied once again moments later by the Monaco keeper.

However, Arsenal’s dominance eventually told, with 18-year-old Myles Lewis Skelly playing the ball into Jesus in the box, with the 29-year-old striker feeding Saka, who made no mistake to drill the ball past Majecki and into the net for 1-0 on 34 minutes.

Odegaard then powered through the Monaco backline only to drag his low shot across goal.

Such profligacy was to weigh heavily on the Gunners in the second half, after having missed a raft of chances in the opening 45 minutes, as Adi Hutter’s side attempted to gain a foothold in the contest.

On 62 minutes former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino tested Raya but the Gunners shotstopper was equal to the task.

After Arteta made three substitutions including Declan Rice, presumably with one eye on the weekend’s vital clash against Everton, Monaco should have levelled through Minamino teed up Breel Embolo, whose powerful drive flew the wrong side of Raya’s post, when a little more composure would have seen the ball end up in the net, rather than a chance spurned.

As the contest opened up, Odegaard had his effort blocked by Majecki, prior to Merino then spurning a header, with a number of Arsenal shirts in the box, as the score somehow remained 1-0.

That was until Saka scored his second of the evening to dispel any doubts that the points would stay in north London – before Havertz made it 3-0 to underline an excellent result for Arteta’s team.