Madueke and Martinelli goals see Arsenal maintain perfect record in Champions League | OneFootball

Noni Madueke’s double and another Champions League goal for Gabriel Martinelli helped the Gunners to a 3-0 win over Club Brugge.

Mikel Arteta’s much changed side continued their perfect record in Europe, having won all of their six games in the competition this season.

Madueke opened the scoring with a superb strike from distance on 25 minutes before heading in a second just after half-time.

And Martinelli became the first Arsenal player to score in five Champions League games in a row with a wonderful curling strike into the corner.

The significance is that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will now be able to rest players in their remaining league stage matches while avoiding the added two fixtures of a February qualifying play-off, with automatic qualification to the knockouts essentially secured.

Even with key players injured, Arsenal were favoured to come through this latest tie, but the manner of the win was a reminder that this Arsenal side are genuine contenders domestically and in Europe.

Arsenal took the game to their Belgian hosts from the start, notably using the new long throw threat of Christian Norgaard. The Danish midfielder was making only his second start since his summer switch from Brentford, and this time as a substitute central defender, with Gabriel, William Saliba, and Christian Mosquera being joined on the treatment table by Jurrien Timber, who sustained a knock in the weekend defeat at Aston Villa.

Another versatile defender, Riccardo Calafiori, was deemed only fit enough to be named as a sub. When Arsenal have injuries, they have them in numbers and in cluster of the same position.

While it’s their defenders suffering now, at least their striker crisis is easing with Viktor Gyokeres recalled for his first start in nearly six weeks and Gabriel Jesus who came off the bench to replace the Swedish forward, for his first taste of competitive action for 332 days.

Brugge had issues of their own with former Sunderland and Liverpool keeper injured in the warm-up and the club in a state of unrest following Monday’s sacking of popular manager Nicky Hayen. Supporters welcomed his replacement Ivan Leko, poached from rivals Gent, by holding up banners and chanting in support of Hayen.

This is a club with a proud European history and only last month led Barcelona here three times before ending in a 3-3 draw. They are a team blessed with pace in attack and often threatened on the counter, mainly through Portugal striker Carlos Forbs, as a way of relieving themselves from relentless bouts of Arsenal pressure.

What they lacked, however, was a player with the dribbling and finishing skills of Madueke. The England winger, playing in his preferred right-sided role while Bukayo Saka was rested on the bench, rode three challenges as he ran at goal from just inside the Brugge half before shooting into the top-right hand corner of the net with the sweetest of left foot strikes from 25 yards out. A goal of quality and one that further validates Arteta’s decision to approve his big-money summer move from Chelsea at a time when some Arsenal fans doubted his ability.

Madueke would then head in a deft Martin Zubimendi cross before Martinelli, a player who has been a great team player as a substitute so often this season, made the most of a rare start with Leo Trossard injured to cut in from the left to curl in a 56th minute beaty with his right foot.

Arteta was able to use the closing stages to give Jesus his comeback opportunity from the bench and some minutes for teenage midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, as well as Saka, Calafiori and teenager Marli Salmon. Only three players have played for an English club in the Champ[ions League while 16 or younger and all three have done so for Arsenal – Jack Wilshere, Max Dowman and Salmon.