On a chilly Wednesday night at the Emirates, Arsenal easily defeated RC Lens 6-0 thanks to goals from six different players, securing their spot in the round of 16 and topping Group B.
For the first time in seven years, the local team was participating in the premier club competition in European football, and they needed just one point to guarantee a spot in the competition’s knockout stages. Rather, they took Lens out of the game to win all three.
With four victories from their five games, Arsenal has amassed 12 points, while Lens, in third place with five points, is no longer eligible to advance to the round of 16.
Kai Havertz, who scored a late goal for Arsenal against Brentford on Saturday, gave the team the lead in the 13th minute with a scrappy goal. Gabriel Jesus then doubled the lead by sidestepping two players and finishing in the corner.
In the 23rd minute, Bukayo Saka scored his third goal by hauling in a ball that was badly parried by Gabriel Martinelli. Four minutes later, Martinelli twisted the blade again with a curling drive that left Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba diving for nothing.
Play was momentarily stopped when some of Lens’s angry traveling supporters started setting off flares.
With the final kick of the first half, Gunners captain Martin Odegaard upped the score to five by volleying in a long cross from Takehiro Tomiyasu, who was speeding down the right side.
In the rematch, Lens, the Ligue 1 runners-up from the previous season, surprised Arsenal 2-1 thanks to goals from striker Elye Wahi and one assist from him. However, as the mercury dropped in north London, the Frenchman looked a sorry sight.
Declan Rice, a midfielder for Arsenal, sat deep as the home team defended their commanding advantage in the second half, stifling the visitors’ every attempt to penetrate the area.
Following a scoreless second half, Abdukodir Khusanov of Lens stuck out an arm in his own area in the 85th minute, earning Arsenal a penalty following a VAR review. Jorginho, an injury substitute for Arsenal, then finished the game from the spot to end the night horribly for the visitors.