Arsenal 6-0 Lens: Player ratings as Gunners cruise into Champions League last 16

Arsenal are into the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2017, booking their place in the last 16 and top of Group B with a game to spare after a thumping win over Lens.

The Gunners were rampant from the earliest stages, taking a 13th minute lead through Kai Havertz from close range. Gabriel Jesus soon doubled that advantage, before further goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli had the home side 4-0 up and fully cruising inside half an hour.

Martin Odegaard made it five before half-time with a well-timed volley, with Jorginho scoring a late penalty as Arsenal took full revenge for a surprise defeat in the reverse fixture on matchday two.

How the game unfolded

The Gunners had a couple of sightings of goal before they took the lead, including Havertz just missing the target from a header. It was only moments later that he did find the net to get the ball rolling, managing to touch Gabriel Jesus' nod across goal beyond Brice Samba.

Provider turned goalscorer for Arsenal to go 2-0 up just eight minutes later. Saka cut in from the right, dancing through the Lens defence like a hot knife through butter. It got a little scrappy as he entered into the area, but it was enough to work the ball to Jesus to finish.

Barely any sooner than the game had restarted, Saka got his own. If his assist for Jesus had been about speed and close control, his goal was fortuitous, in the right place at the right time for Samba's save from Martinelli's attempt to ricochet off the England star into the net.

It was becoming a theme that the player involved in making the previous goal would score the next and Martinelli obliged when a diagonal ball from Takehiro Tomiyasu, who had plenty of attacking involvement throughout, made its way to the Brazilian. He cut inside and smashed past Samba.

Having recovered from the shock of conceding four times so quickly, Lens steadied themselves towards the end of the first half and wanted a penalty when the ball struck Havertz's arm. But the ball had hit the German's leg first and VAR confirmed it: no penalty. The French side also put David Raya under pressure with a free-kick into the box and Facundo Medina struck the post from distance.

Odegaard lashed home the fifth with conviction in first half stoppage time. Saka was again involved, carrying the ball on the counter, before the overlapping Tomiyasu stood it up into the centre of the box and inviting the Arsenal skipper to volley in without breaking stride.

With the game long since over as a contest, the second half had more than a degree of acceptance about it from both sides. Lens had no chance of mounting a comeback and Arsenal were no longer in need of pushing themselves, understandably taking a step back.

Substitutions took over the tempo of the game, although Samba had to deny Havertz a potential sixth Arsenal goal. Half-time replacement Ben White also missed the target with a decent headed chance from a corner, but the sixth did come after VAR intervened to penalise Lens sub Abdukodir Khusanov for a handball – he'd also caught Martinellin the face with his arm as part of the same motion. Jorginho, as expected, made absolutely no mistake from the penalty spot.

Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: David Raya - 6/10 - Didn't command the situation when a high free-kick was sent into the box but ultimately made saves when he had to.

RB: Takehiro Tomiyasu - 9/10 - Made multiple decisive attacking contributions. Withdrawn at half-time after a job very well done.

CB: William Saliba - 7/10 - Lens were never giving the Frenchman any problems.

CB: Gabriel - 7/10 - Safe with the ball and strong defensively. A big block right near the end showed his commitment to the clean sheet.

LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6/10 - A comfortable 45 minutes before coming off.

CM: Martin Odegaard (c) - 8/10 - Took his goal with aplomb and looked to drive his team forward.

CM: Declan Rice - 8/10 - Able to control the game and marshal in front of the back four.

CM: Kai Havertz - 8/10 - A threat before he scored the game's opener and one of his most productive performances in an Arsenal shirt.

RW: Bukayo Saka - 9/10 - Only the third player since records began in 2003 to score and assist in three consecutive Champions League home games after Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez. Unreal.

ST: Gabriel Jesus - 8/10 - His performance encapsulated recent comments about his game as a striker being more than just goalscoring, laying on the first before finding the net himself.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 8/10 - Completed the set as all three Arsenal forwards came away with both a goal and assist on a really impressive night.

Substitutes

SUB: Ben White (46' for Tomiyasu) - 6/10

SUB: Jakub Kiwior (46' for Zinchenko) - 6/10

SUB: Reiss Nelson (66' for Saka) - 6/10

SUB: Jorginho (75' for Rice) - 6/10

SUB: Eddie Nketiah (82' for Jesus) - 7/10

Subs not used: Ramsdale (GK), Hein (GK), Soares, Lewis-Skelly, Elneny, Trossard, Nwaneri

Manager

Mikel Arteta - 8/10 - Set up his team for a job and they executed it perfectly. Didn't mess around at half-time, perhaps with one eye on the weekend, and continued rotating throughout the second half.

Player of the match - Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

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