Eighteen points, 20 goals, no end to the number of questions. Arsenal have torn through their Europa League group and signed off with an entertaining enough win to which a bright Dundalk also contributed positively. Eddie Nketiah, Mohamed Elneny, Joe Willock and Folarin Balogun scored goals that, while bearing the contest’s lack of weight in mind, continued to press the case for a more carefree approach to their nosediving top-flight campaign.
Nketiah’s early goal made a point in both manner and timing. He has not started a Premier League game for more than two months and, while certain aspects of his game require development, Arsenal’s attack has hardly thrived in the meantime. In charging down Andy Boyle’s attempted clearance and running through to chip delicately beyond Gary Rogers, Nketiah demonstrated the kind of aggression and decisive finishing they have lacked. It was hardly an uncharacteristic sequence: Nketiah showed last season that he has form for forcing errors and had pressed Boyle into an ungainly foul moments prior to the opener.
Related: Europa League: Dundalk 2-4 Arsenal, Lech Poznan 0-2 Rangers – live!
Continue reading...