Arsenal 4-1 CSKA Moscow: 3 things that went right for the Gunners

A mesmerising first-half performance from Arsenal put them in firm control of their Europa League tie with CSKA Moscow. A brace from both Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette saw the Gunners thrash their Russian opponents 4-1, with all the goals being scored in the first half.

Lacazette may have scored a double, but it was Ramsey who would steal the headlines after an almost perfect performance.

The Welshman opened the scoring with a nice sweeping finish high into the net, but it was his second that was applauded all over the world. It was an exquisite goal from Ramsey. Mesut Ozil found the midfielder with a beautiful delivery in the box and his audacious flick looped over Igor Akinfeev and in.

Here are three things that went right for the Gunners in their match against CSKA Moscow:

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#3 Ozil ran the show

Despite often being criticised for his languid style, there is no doubt about it that Ozil is a wonderful footballer, and nights like yesterday only proved that even further.

The German was superb and put in a fine passing display, earning himself two assists in the process. Firstly with a perfectly timed defence-splitting pass to set up Ramsey for his impressive volley, and secondly with a cross from the by-line right to Lacazette’s feet for his second of the evening and Arsenal’s fourth.

Not only that, the German also won Arsenal the penalty that Lacazette put away to send Arsenal 2-1 up, at a crucial point in the game.

Furthermore, with Arsenal just needing to comfortably see the game out towards the end, Ozil roamed the pitch and made sure Arsenal kept possession and slowed the game down.

And to top it all off, it all seemed effortless for the Arsenal midfielder. He cut through the CSKA defence on numerous occasions with ease, and could have assisted even more.

He was just absolutely faultless, and Arsenal fans can have no complaints about his level of effort or performance in big matches after last night, along with his away performance against AC Milan.

#2 Lacazette is back!

Lacazette celebrates scoring his penalty

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang allowing Lacazette to take the penalty against Stoke on Sunday looks an even better decision now, as the Frenchman grabbed a brace tonight and boosted his confidence even further.

After spending six weeks on the sidelines, the Frenchman could have taken time to re-adjust and recover from his injury, especially with him lacking match fitness. But no, two games back, one from the bench, and he has three goals.

Two may have come from the penalty spot, but they still need to be put away and he was able to slot them both away comfortably.

The centre-forward already looks better than just before his injury, where he had just one goal in 14 matches in all competitions. He did appear to be isolated and struggling before he had surgery on a knee injury, and Arsene Wenger claimed this week it was clearly harming his level of performance.

With the arrival of Aubameyang, it has now really pushed him and forced him into working hard and putting in the best performance he can. And tonight, that showed as he put in an excellent shift, and was rewarded with two goals.

It’s clear, Lacazette is back on form, and he wants his position as Arsenal’s number 9 back again.

#1 Ramsey delivering in the big games, again

Ramsey sweeps an effort past Akinfeev to give Arsenal the lead

Like his two FA Cup final winners and his countless important goals for the Gunners, the Welshman stepped up to the occasion once again last night.

As mentioned previously, Arsenal have buckled on the big occasion before, but last night, they didn’t, and that was mainly down to a magnificent performance from their star midfielder Ramsey.

The 27-year-old opened the scoring and stole the headlines with a goal very few other players would be able to score, in what was a nearly perfect performance. Unfortunately, he was denied perfection and a hat-trick as his strike from outside the box inside the last 10 minutes could only strike the post.

Regardless, he was incredible on the night. His passing, his finishing and his all-round play were spectacular in a very important game in Arsenal’s season.

He has had a lot of critics in recent years, with some calling him a ‘one season wonder’ after a great season in 2013/14, but loyal supporters of the Welshman realise that he is a consistent performer, and has been for a long time now. He is a crucial player that Arsenal must keep, mainly for these crucial moments which he seems to produce quite regularly.

Once again when they needed him most, he produced the special moments. Now he just needs to make sure his team reach the final and play their way back into the Champions League next season.