Arsenal 3-0 Monaco: Champions League – as it happened | Champions League

David Hytner was at the Emirates Stadium. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.

Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT. “Very happy … scoring three goals and keeping a clean sheet … the first half we should have been three or four up … in the Champions League you are going to have difficult moments … we weren’t precise enough … we suffered … but I am very happy … the subs helped us … gave us energy … everybody is important … [Lewis-Skelly] is one of our own … he has a bright future … it is a nice feeling to help somebody change his life … [Saka] is really mature … he is incredible … his goal involvement is 20 in 21 matches … that is ridiculous … he is an incredible talent … a special person … his leadership is increasing … he is loved by everybody … and on the pitch he makes a difference.”

Yep, Kai Havertz isn’t getting that third goal. Uefa have announced it’s going down as a Thilo Kehrer own goal.

Player of the match Bukayo Saka talks to TNT Sports. “This is [Myles Lewis-Skelly’s] level … he was a big part of the first goal … he’s always asking questions and looking to learn … I’m proud of him.”

Lewis-Skelly adds: “I’m proud of myself … I believe in myself … I’ve come a long way … I thank everyone for giving me the opportunity … hopefully it’s the first of many … I push on from here … I want to keep learning from Bukayo.”

Arsenal are all smiles. They were the better side over the piece – they should have put this game to bed in the first half – though Monaco gave it a good go in their search for a second-half equaliser. The win moves the Gunners up to third spot in the Champions League, with a home game against Dinamo Zagreb and a visit to Girona coming up in the New Year.

Arsenal head into this competition’s Christmas break in good nick.

90 min +1: Nwaneri whistles a shot towards the bottom right. Majecki claims.

90 min: There will be three additional minutes.

Arsenal take a quick free kick down the left and Trossard crosses long. Saka hits a shot-cum-cross from the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Havertz competes, level with the right-hand post. Kehrer sticks out a boot and deflects into the top-right corner. It looks like an own goal, but for now the officials have credited it to Havertz.

87 min: It’s going to be very interesting to see how Everton deal with Arsenal’s corners on Saturday, now Adi Hütter has offered his blueprint. You can bet your bottom dollar Sean Dyche has been taking notes.

85 min: Trossard forces Teze into the concession of a corner down the left. Monaco leave three men upfield again. Discombobulated when faced with a half-empty box, Trossard and Nwaneri try some short stuff and it all goes wrong.

84 min: That mistake has taken the wind out of Monaco’s sail. Arsenal, second best for most of the second half, and suddenly first to everything. Trossard one-twos with Havertz to make space on the edge of the Monaco D, but slips as he takes his shot.

82 min: Monaco make a triple change. Camara, Vanderson and Embolo are replaced by Teze, Matazo and Ilenikhena.

80 min: Ødegaard makes way for Nwaneri.

Majecki rolls the goal kick to Kehrer on his right. Kehrer rolls it back across to Salisu to the keeper’s left. Salisu taps it to the keeper, who is immediately closed down by Havertz. The ball deflects to Saka, who isn’t missing from six yards. The ball whistles into the corner, and that should be that for Arsenal.

77 min: Ødegaard crosses long from the right. Merino heads over at the far post. Trossard, behind him was in a better position. But it doesn’t matter, because from the resulting goal kick …

76 min: Arsenal enjoy a bit of sustained possession for the first time in this second period. Have they finally drawn Monaco’s sting?

74 min: Havertz juggles his way out of a three-man press. That’s delightful skill. He sends Trossard romping into acres down the left. Ødegaard is free in the middle, but Trossard can only clank the final pass into the nearby Salisu. He gets the ball back and aims for the top right, but the shot’s always sailing high and wide. A huge chance to wrap this up.

73 min: Jesus is replaced by Havertz.

71 min: Saka advances down the right and rolls infield for Trossard, who tries to release Ødegaard down the inside-left channel. A better weighted ball, and Ødegaard is in on goal, but the pass is overhit.

69 min: Ødegaard hauls down Ben Seghir to concede a garden-variety free kick, and briefly considers flinging the ball away in disgust. He decides against it, which is for the best. Arsenal not in a great frame of mind right now.-

68 min: Minamino dribbles into the Arsenal box from the right and is lightly tugged on the shoulder by Kiwior. A chance to go down cynically, and give the referee a penalty decision to make. But Minamino opts to stay on his feet.

66 min: Trossard crosses from the left. Ødegaard hammers a shot from the penalty spot straight at Majecki, who parries … and then the flag goes up.

65 min: Minamino snaffles Saliba’s poor pass out from the right-back position. He slips a left-to-right diagonal pass to Embolo, who swivels, 12 yards out, and flashes a low drive inches wide of the bottom right. Monaco getting closer and closer to an equaliser.

64 min: Arsenal make a triple change, Rice, Lewis-Skelley and Martinelli making way for Timber, Trossard and Jorginho.

63 min: Henrique dribbles past Partey and Saka down the right, reaching the byline and cutting back for Minamino, who should do better than slapping a weak shot straight at Raya from ten yards. Arsenal attempt to counter, only for Vanderson to tug at Martinelli and earn himself a booking.

61 min: Incidentally, Monaco’s tactic to deal with Arsenal’s famous corner routine was to keep three men on the halfway line, forcing the Gunners to match them … and thus there were fewer players and much less bedlam in the box. Premier League managers up and down the land will be whipping their notebooks out. Scribble scribble scribble.

60 min: Rice’s long corner is punched clear by Majecki. On the edge of the box, Merino thinks he’s been fouled by Embolo, but there’s no whistle. So seconds later he has a kick back, and goes into the book.

58 min: Merino spins into space and strides down the middle of the park. He plays in Martinelli down the left. Martinelli drops a shoulder to get past Vanderson, and crosses low and hard. Salisu slices a strange … and slightly fortunate … clearance over his own bar. Here comes Arsenal’s first corner of the evening!

56 min: More space for Vanderson down the right. He tries the low cross again. This time Embolo is up there competing, but Kiwior gets in ahead to knock the ball out of play for the first corner of the match. Nothing comes of the set piece, Akliouche sending it straight into Raya’s hands.

54 min: Monaco have started the half better. But then they did that in the first half too, and look how that ended up. “Lovely assist from Jesus,” writes Charles Antaki. “Who are these mealy-mouthed critics? Pshaw!”

53 min: Vanderson storms down the right and sends a dangerous ball through the Arsenal box. But nobody else in green has kept up with play.

51 min: Minamino has a dig from distance. No good.

49 min: Rice slaloms out of defence. The referee tries to get out of his way. But whichever way he chooses, Rice follows. The crowd not happy but this is silent-movie perfection. The referee can’t shake Rice off. A slapstick chase. Eventually Rice takes a hard turn right and the skit is over.

47 min: Camara curls the free kick into the Arsenal box. Kehrer wins a header, ten yards out, and powers it wide right. Had that been on target, Raya was beaten, rooted to the spot. And Kehrer was basically unchallenged, so it should have been on target. Arsenal get away with one.

46 min: Jesus has the chance to release Martinelli into the Monaco box, but underhits the pass. Monaco counter, and Kiwior upends Akliouche 30 yards from goal. Free kick. The box is loaded.

Monaco get the second half underway. Soungoutou Magassa, who made a couple of big mistakes in the first half, has been replaced by erstwhile Liverpool star Takumi Minamino. But Arsenal haven’t subbed Gabriel Martinelli, which is something of a surprise given he should have been given a second yellow card right at the end of the first half, and is surely now drinking in the last-chance saloon.

Half-time entertainment. Max! Barry! David Squires!

A half of two halves. Monaco looked assured for the first 20 minutes or so, but then Arsenal turned it on. The hosts could very easily have scored five. They also should have seen Gabriel Martinelli sent off for two yellow cards, so there’s a fair chance he’ll not be coming out again for the second half.

45 min: Camara strides down the right and is clanked to the floor from behind by Martinelli, who is already on a booking. He should be walking – this is a second yellow all day long – but the referee opts for a quiet word instead. Martinelli is very lucky indeed.

44 min: Arsenal stroke it around in the game-management style. Monaco are chasing shadows now.

42 min: Make that five. Monaco are suddenly all over the place, Camara the latest to ship possession. Ødegaard slips Martinelli clear down the inside-left. Martinelli then replicates Ødegaard’s miss from a couple of minutes ago. The flag goes up for offside, but Martinelli looked on. VAR would surely have got the rulers out and overturned that one.

40 min: Magassa, not for the first time this evening, faffs around on the halfway line. He slips a dreadful backpass towards Vanderson, allowing Ødegaard to storm off with the ball. He’s clear! Ødegaard reaches the edge of the box and looks for the bottom-right corner … but the shot’s always sailing wide. A huge miss, Arsenal’s third big one of the night. Somewhere, in a parallel universe, Arsenal are 4-0 up.