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Score: Arsenal 4-1 CSKA Moscow
Goalscorers: Arsenal - Ramsey 8', 28' Lacazette 23', 36'; CSKA Moscow - Golovin 15'
Arsenal were at their playmaking, goal-scoring best against a decent outfit in CSKA Moscow. The quality that the Gunners had in their ranks was too overwhelming for the visitors to contend with.
The hosts didn't only get the job done but did it in some style stitching together countless breath-taking passing moves carving the opposition defence open almost every time - scoring four in the first forty-five minutes.
Apart from a few nervous moments following the leveller from a spectacularly taken free-kick, the North-London side were at their showboating best, arguably putting the tie to bed with the second leg still to come.
Not a bad night of work for the men in red, who finally managed to give their fans something to cheer for.
Here are the player ratings for the Arsenal players on a night to remember for plenty of reasons!
Petr Cech - 6.5/10
Cech had a comparatively easy night than he has had in the past couple of months but the failure to keep a clean sheet in yet another game has resulted in a below par rating for the big Czech Republic International.
Most of his work was done for him by the visitors who were aiming for the gallery seats rather than for goal. A couple of straight-forward saves were completed and no major moments of panic with the ball at feet either.
Hector Bellerin - 7.5/10
The Spaniard has failed to replicate his stellar performances, when he first broke on the scene, in the last couple of seasons or so. He has looked out of place in so many big games, resembling a headless chicken rather than the rampaging fullback like his former self.
It was a decent performance on the night and no unnecessary risks were taken to add to the assist for the opener. There was pinpoint accuracy in picking the Welshman whose task to hit it first-time was made easier.
Shkodran Mustafi - 7/10
No moments of madness from the Arsenal centre-back, to ridicule him for, to his credit. He has been known to go missing on many occasions but we reckon the German has come under some unfair criticism as he regularly keeps affecting games at either end.
Unfortunately for the German, he's affected it adversely on too many occasions for a top-level defender, but not on the night. He could've done better when faced with the task of stopping the pacy Ahmed Musa which is why he receives a rating of seven.
Laurent Koscielny - 6/10
The captain is the lowest rated player in his side, which should never really be the case. But it is true. On a night where almost everyone hit their highest notes, Koscielny was clearly at fault for giving away a needless free-kick on the edge of the box which resulted in a goal.
He also looked terribly out of his depth when trying to contain the former Leicester man - Ahmed Musa - who ran rings around the Frenchman.
Nacho Monreal - 8/10
The Spaniard is slowly growing into one of the most reliable men in an Arsenal shirt these days. After a timid start to life in England, when he arrived along with Santi Cazorla from Spain, he has grown into one of the favourites of the home crowd - regularly putting in sturdy performances and chipping in with important goals in Cup finals and the like.
Another terrific performance put in by the left-back has seen him take away a more than decent rating of eight.
Granit Xhaka - 7/10
The Swiss international had a solid game in the middle of the field and refrained from flying into the wild challenges he has grown infamous for. He played within himself at all moments and was neat in his passing on the night.
He did play a steaming ball back behind the defence for Ozil which resulted in Lacazette's first, but was more involved with thwarting attacks than starting them and left the offensive side of things to those further up the pitch.
However, he was errant in trying to clear the ball which resulted in Koscielny crashing into the Moscow man, which led to the goal.
Jack Wilshere - 7/10
The Englishman failed to do anything major in the game but had more than a decent outing. He was involved in some of the lovely intricate play on the edge box that preceded the goals.
Particularly for the opener, when he produced a brilliant touch in a tight space before laying it off to Hector Bellerin who in turn found Ramsey who in turn found the net. A decent performance and a decent rating for Wilshere, but as a part of a unit - more than just decent.
Aaron Ramsey - 9.5/10
For those who were present at the Emirates, Aaron Ramsey put on a master class, scoring two stunning goals - particularly the second with the first-time flying flick over the top of the keeper!
A complete performance from the midfielder who refused to let the likes of Mesut Ozil or Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Alexandre Lacazette steal all the spotlight, and if you ask Arsenal fans, they'll tell you there something more fulfilling when Ramsey gets on the score-sheet than when the others do.
We've deducted half a point for his inability to get his hattrick, despite coming close on a number of occasions - including hit the woodwork with a spectacular effort from the edge of the box. Get the hat-trick, the match ball and a full rating from us the next time you get on the pitch Aaron!
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 7/10
The Armenian was probably the least effective in the attacking department for the Gunners but it was far from a forgettable performance.
He did his bit by dropping back to slow things down and weaved his magic to get past players and draw fouls, which was vital to managing the second half after the damage was done in the first.
Mkhitaryan, however, hobbled off the pitch in the second half, thus pulling the curtains on a mixed day for him.
Mesut Ozil - 9/10
On days like this, you don't want to try to put into words the mesmerising acts of the playmaker in world football. the German was tantalisingly close to perfection on the night and apart from the usual tricks and silky flicks from the maestro's boot, came two assists.
He also won the penalty for Lacazette. A gliding run to ghost into the penalty box, with the goal at his mercy, forced the defender into a rash challenge and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Almost everything Ozil tried, he pulled off. He was on it the entire night and could've and probably should've gotten his name on the score-sheet.
His tendency to oscillate between the mesmerising and the anaemic can be frustrating on occasions but can you name another player in world football who, on his night, can come close to the genius of Mesut Ozil when he is on his?
Why then, only a nine? Because it's Mesut Ozil and even he knows that the standards that he can set, know no bounds! There will never be a perfect Mesut Ozil performance because he can always do better! What a player!
Alexandre Lacazette - 9/10
The Frenchman came back to Europe with a bang! After missing the last few games due to injury and then coming on in the second half of the league game against Stoke, the Frenchman put away a penalty to restore some of the lost confidence.
He did the same tonight after Ozil had won the Gunners a spot-kick. He then doubled his tally on the night with a sweetly struck finish with his left foot, low into the bottom left corner. Mesut was the provider again.
He was taken off - one can only hope for preservation purposes rather than personal - and he admitted to being frustrated when taken off, but a couple of well-taken goals on the night should put the striker further at ease.
That 13-game goal drought seems like a long time ago now doesn't it?
