Arsenal 5 S Donetsk 1:ARSENAL COULD not have wished for an easier work-out before Sunday's Premier League showdown at Manchester City. Last night's match was over as a contest before the interval.
A decade ago these two sides met in this competition for a group game and two goals from Martin Keown handed Arsenal a 3-2 victory. Since that victory in September 2000 Arsenal have contested a Champions League final – in Paris against Barcelona in 2006 – but have yet to claim the one trophy that separates Wenger from counterparts who have confirmed a place in the pantheon of great managers by doing so.
These include Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, who have each won the European Cup twice. Still, as the Frenchman stated, his club have become comfortable enough to expect the true test of their abilities to arrive after Christmas.
So it was that Mircea Lucescu’s side arrived at the Emirates to take on a home team who had won the first two outings of this season’s competition, a start that matched their own.
By the interval, though, Arsenal were 2-0 up, courtesy of goals from Alex Song and Samir Nasri.
It has become a cliche to note that Arsenal over-elaborate once entering enemy territory. Yet with Cesc Fabregas back to lead the team the theory ran he would show team-mates the killer route to goal, and so it proved.
The Spain midfielder produced Arsenal’s first cross aimed straight into the area on 15 minutes and though his delivery came to nothing, route one was about to give Arsenal the lead. This time Nasri flipped in a hanging cross that Yaroslav Rakitskiy headed away from the lurking Marouane Chamakh for a corner.
When this was delivered into the area Sebastien Squillaci headed on and Andriy Pyatov, Shakhtar’s goalkeeper, dropped a regulation catch, Johan Djourou poked a toe at the ball, and Song finally forced the ball home.
Any scares for Arsenal at this stage concerned loose defending close to their goal. After 41 minutes, from a corner, a flying Lukasz Fabianski was required to punch the danger away.
Still, Wenger sent his side back out for the closing 45 minutes with a two-goal advantage thanks to a smart move that involved Emmanuel Eboue and Song down the right, before the latter dropped a pass into Nasri’s path in the area. A slick touch from the Frenchman took the ball on to his left foot and the finish allowed Pyatov no chance.
Lucescu brought on Douglas Costa for Willian to play down the right but the Ukrainian side soon conceded their third. It was simple and this was all about to become too easy for Arsenal.
Tomas Hubschman was booked following a foul on Fabregas and when the Arsenal captain floated the free-kick into the area, Luiz Adriano wrestled Djourou to the floor, and the referee awarded the penalty.
Fabregas stepped forward and finished to record a first goal since his previous appearance – against Sunderland in September – before Wenger replaced him, no doubt thinking of the clash at City.
Jack Wilshere is not available for that game following a late red card on Saturday, but the 18-year-old again indicated the force he could become by scoring Arsenal’s fourth, swapping passes with Tomas Rosicky before dinking the ball beyond Pyatov.
Chamakh collected his sixth of a supremely successful start to his career in north London by taking Nasri’s lob over the Donetsk defence, coolly checking he was not being flagged for offside, and finishing.
The home fans’ mood was now relaxed enough for them to greet a consolation goal by the former crowd favourite, Eduardo da Silva, with warm applause. It was that kind of evening.
ARSENAL: Fabianski, Eboue, Squillaci, Djourou, Clichy, Song, Wilshere, Rosicky, Fabregas (Denilson 63), Nasri (Arshavin 72), Chamakh (Walcott 72). Subs not used: Szczesny, Diaby, Gibbs, Bendtner.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat, Gai (Jadson 68), Hubschman, Mkhitaryan, Alex Teixeira, Willian (Douglas Costa 46), Luiz Adriano (Eduardo 63). Subs not used: Khudzamov, Kobin, Stepanenko, Chygrynskiy. Booked: Hubschman, Luiz Adriano.
Referee: S Oddvar Moen (Norway).
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