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Arsenal put behind their disappointing loss to Leicester City in the Premier League, with an impressive 3-0 win over Dundalk in the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League. The Gunners' first win over Irish opposition sees them topping the Group B table, level on points with Molde, while Dundalk are rock bottom along with Rapid Wien.
Dundalk acquitted themselves well in the opening half, restricting Arsenal to half-chances. The Irish champions then shot themselves in the foot when goalkeeper Gary Rogers flapped at a corner. The ball eventually deflected to Eddie Nketiah as he stabbed home the opener in the 42nd minute.
The dam had burst. So when Nicolas Pepe's cross in the 44th minute deflected to Joe Willock in space in the left channel, it was no surprise to see the latter hammer a rising shot into the net and make it 2-0 in the 44th minute.
Arsenal started the second half in storming fashion. Pepe guided a beautiful right-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box with just 30 seconds gone, to make it 3-0.
The Gunners went on to dominate the rest of the half, coming close to scoring multiple times but eventually saw out the game to make it two wins from two in Europe this season.
On that note, here are five talking points from an entertaining night at the Emirates Stadium in London.
#5 Alex Runarsson makes a confident debut for Arsenal
Bernd Leno has had a nervous few games for Arsenal of late. So it was no surprise to see Mikel Arteta name Alex Runnarsson in his starting lineup.
The Iceland international was called straight into action. He had to make a great diving save to divert Patrick McEleney's long-range shot away for a corner. Standing an inch over six feet, Runnarsson strangely looks shorter than he is, but whenever Dundalk aimed a threatening ball into the box, he was on hand to collect with ease as confidence brewed among the Arsenal defenders.
The Irish champions failed to test Runnarsson adequately. Nevertheless, even in such a game, the former Dijon keeper quietly impressed. He was also quick with his distribution.
It's a welcome relief for Arteta, who will be glad to have a decent backup for Leno after Emi Martinez's move to Aston Villa.
#4 Dundalk require a miracle to qualify
The Irish champions had created history with a win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the group stage of their last Europa League sojourn in 2016. However, not much was expected from Dundalk when the 2020-21 Europa League draw was made.
Manager Filippo Giovagnoli did set his side up well in their opening game against Molde. Dundalk led for the better part of an hour before going down 2-1. The Irish side had a similar game in North London, managing to keep Arsenal at bay for 40 minutes, with the Gunners looking unusually quiet.
It all went wrong for Dundalk after an error from keeper Gary Rogers, though. However, defenders Andrew Boyle and Brian Gartland put in impressive defensive shifts against Arsenal. There was an element of naivety to Dundalk's game as well.
With losses in their opening two games and having to play their home games in a ground that is not their own, it looks unlikely that Dundalk may manage to get a win, let alone qualify from the group.
#3 Hale End graduates shine for Arsenal
It was a wonderful night for Arsenal's youngsters. Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson all put in impressive performances that were crucial to Arsenal's win.
Nketiah has made a habit of scoring ugly goals for Arsenal, and his opener was no different. England's U21 top-scorer of all time has no qualms about his reputation as an ungainly goal-poacher.
He's scored ten goals for Arsenal, and the total yardage of those goals have been 50.5 - an average of 5 yards from goal.
Joe Willock, who got Arsenal's second goal, was full of energy throughout, with his driving qualities from midfield being a unique asset in Arteta's squad. Reiss Nelson also acquitted himself well - his trickery caused Dundalk all sorts of problems, but Nelson's final ball needs some polishing.
To cap off a wonderful night for Arsenal's academy, highly-rated striker, Folarin Balogun came on to make his debut.
#2 Nicolas Pepe blows hot and cold for Arsenal
Prior to scoring his goal, one could easily make a case that Nicolas Pepe was having a bad night. Indeed, one of the reasons that Dundalk kept Arsenal quiet in the opening 40 minutes was because Pepe was quite poor in retaining this ball.
Yet, the Ivorian is a player capable of producing incredibly breathtaking moments. A few minutes into the second half, he made a delicious roll of the ball with his left foot before firing a lovely right-footed curled effort straight into the top corner.
After his goal, Pepe regressed and came off for Willian at the hour mark.
Having had a season to bed in, Pepe still remains an enigma, but Arsenal fans can take solace in the fact that their best players can still impact games even when they're not at their best.
Nevertheless, Pepe's £72 million fee could eventually feel justified.
#1 Mikel Arteta oversees an attacking improvement from Arsenal
It was a worrying sight for Arsenal fans when the Gunners looked so bereft of ideas against Leicester City in the second half of their 1-0 loss.
Since then Mikel Arteta has shorn up the Arsenal defence, but the attacking impetus of the team has leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, it was a decent turnaround against Dundalk, as Arsenal put aside their visitors with ease.
Arteta would have particularly noted the performances of youngsters Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock. Their direct running at defenders and willingness to shoot are qualities Arsenal's first XI currently lack.
While there is hope that Arsenal's attacking improvement will continue against Manchester United in the weekend, it's important to note that Arteta sets up very differently in cup competitions:
