Arsenal 3- 0 Dinamo Zagreb

Arsenal's Champions League hopes are still alive after they eased to victory against Dinamo Zagreb at Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners needed to win and hope that Bayern Munich beat Olympiakos to ensure that a victory by two goals - or by a margin of one if they score three goals - in Greece in their final group game would send them into the knockout phase.

Bayern fulfilled their part of the bargain and Arsenal had no trouble with a Dinamo side who beat them in the earlier fixture in Croatia.
 
Man of the match Mesut Ozil headed them in front after 29 minutes and Alexis Sanchez added a second four minutes later before the Chile forward rounded off a fine second half move to give Arsenal the convincing win their superiority deserved.

 

Ozil pulls the strings

Midfielder Ozil has had his critics since making the £42.4m move to Arsenal from Real Madrid in September 2013 - but he has arguably been the Gunners' most influential player this season.

The elegant Germany international has become the goal-maker supreme, setting a Premier League record with an assist in his seventh successive game when Olivier Giroud put Arsenal ahead at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

And he was pulling all the strings here as Arsenal kept their Champions League campaign on track, not only by displaying a wonderful range of perfectly-measured passing, but by breaking the deadlock and easing nerves inside the stadium with his diving header.

Ozil's languid style sees him painted as something of an enigma, but when he moves so silkily, dictating the tempo in this fashion, he looks a player of the highest quality.

Mesut Ozil's diving header finished an Arsenal move that began on the edge of their own area

 

Sanchez the energiser

If Ozil is the man who provides the brushstrokes on Arsenal's canvas when they are playing well, then Sanchez is the energiser, a perpetual motion combination of intensity and talent that can prove irresistible.

Arsenal did not only get a world-class forward when they paid Barcelona £32m after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, they acquired a character who can set the tone for a performance with his work ethic and desire.

He proved it here, not just with two goals but with his relentless determination to win the ball back when possession was lost, a prime example being in the first half when he chased back 40 yards down Arsenal's left-flank to make three tackles before eventually securing the ball.

The perfect team man.

                              Sanchez scored his eighth and ninth goals for Arsenal this season

 

 

Can Arsenal come through?

Arsenal are more than capable of getting the victory they require against Olympiakos in Athens to go through to the knockout phase of the Champions League.

They possess more quality than the Greek side - but can they deliver when it matters?

Arsenal have inflicted their own wounds in this campaign, somehow losing at home to a Dinamo Zagreb side that looked so average and also to Olympiakos, a 3-2 defeat that saw every part of the Gunners' vulnerability in temperament and defensive technique exposed.

It was made worse by manager Arsene Wenger's decision to select keeper David Ospina ahead of Petr Cech in goal. This will be not be repeated in Greece after Ospina dropped a harmless corner into this own net.

The question now is whether this Arsenal side can be trusted when the pressure is at its highest.

The Gunners have the talent but they cannot afford any mistakes or one of those off nights that have sabotaged their efforts in the Champions League.

 

Man of the match - Mesut Ozil

The German was a silky creator and goalscorer. A rare talent when he gets it right. 

Arsenal Manager's Reaction :

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on BT Sport: "It promises to be a very interesting game [against Olympiakos], but at least we have a chance. I think Mesut Ozil had an outstanding first half, he has got the taste for scoring now. I have never seen Ozil in the box so many times as in the last five or six games.

"The Europa League is not the target - let us give everything to remain in the Champions League."

Shaw Post believes that Arsene Wenger will be very proud of how Arsenal bounced back from their horrible defeat at the Hawthorns on Saturday to inflict a Champions League exit on Dinamo Zagreb by beating them comprehensively 3-0.

It was great to see Alexis Sanchez come back into goal scoring form with two great goals to help Arsenal on their way to a great victory. It was also great to see Mesut Ozil score his second Champions League goal of the campaign with a cheeky diving header in the 29th minute to ease the nerves of the Arsenal supporters.

Wenger will be hoping that his Arsenal side can now go to Greece in a few weeks time and win by a two goal margin. This shouldn't be beyond Arsenal as they have the quality to beat anyone on their day. They just have to hope that their players are clinical on the night and manage to score the right amount of goals.

There tasked should be made easier as they'll have Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Theo Walcott all back for this group decider.

Before then Arsene Wenger's side travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City and then welcome Sam Allardyce's Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 5th December.