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Arsenal are now through to the next round of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) after beating Molde by a scoreline of 0-3 on Thursday.
Both teams had their fair share of chances in the first half, with Sheriff Sinyan coming the closest to scoring for Molde. However, things changed for the home side after the break.
Mikel Arteta's side emerged superior, and two quick goals within a span of five minutes secured Arsenal's victory in Norway.
Nicolas Pepe broke the deadlock for the north London team and, Reiss Nelson added the second in the 55th minute.
Molde had no way back against Arsenal. In the closing stages of the match, Folarin Balogun netted the Gunners' third of the night to wrap up his team's outstanding second-half performance.
Here are five talking points from Arsenal's victory against Molde.
#5 Arsenal advance to the Round of 32 of the UEL
Just like their last three Europa League campaigns, Arsenal have advanced into the next round of the competition following their victory over Molde.
The Gunners reached the semi-finals in the 2017/18 season, lost the finals to Chelsea in the 2018/19 season and were knocked out by Olympiakos in the Round of 32 last time around.
Having won all four matches in their group stage thus far, Arsenal are through to the Round of 32 with two games to spare. With 12 points, they are also guaranteed the top spot of Group B as it is mathematically impossible for other teams in the group to catch them.
#4 Molde still have a chance of advancing
Although Molde lost the match, it is still possible for them to qualify for the next round of the Europa League competition. They will next face Dundalk before finishing the group stage with a game against Rapid Vienna. Should Erling Moe's team win both games, they will advance to the Round of 32.
There are positive takeaways for Molde from this defeat to Arsenal. During the first half, the Norweigian side looked more dangerous than the Gunners and came closest to scoring. Unfortunately, they were not clinical enough in front of goal, and their final balls left much to be desired.
Eventually, Molde's missed chances against Arsenal came back to haunt them and left them with two consecutive defeats in the Europa League. Yet, all hope is not lost as they still have a chance to advance.
#3 Alex Runarsson adds second clean sheet to his Arsenal career
This is the second consecutive clean sheet for Alex Runarsson who last played against Dundalk. While there was fairly little to do, the Arsenal goalkeeper did well enough when he was called upon action. He looked confident with his distribution and performed well during set-pieces too.
Throughout the 90 minutes, Molde had 11 shots, of which only one was on target. Comparatively, in the last meeting between the two teams, Moe's team had just six shots but four of them were on target.
Runarsson will be happy with his display as he earns his second clean sheet of his Arsenal career. Ahead of the match against Wolves this weekend, the Gunners may have goalscoring difficulties but they have not conceded any goals in their last two matches.
#2 Nicolas Pepe redeems himself
Following his reckless challenge and sending-off last weekend, Nicolas Pepe was given a chance to redeem himself and get into Arteta's good books. In the first 45 minutes, the Ivory Coast forward was Arsenal's chief creator. He attempted shots, linked up with Alexandre Lacazette as well as Nketiah, and dominated the flanks.
Minutes into the second half, the 25-year-old curled a shot and scored to put Arsenal in front. From then on, he looked threatening going forward. Had Nketiah scored, the winger could have gotten a few more assists in the game.
Arteta should be pleased to see Pepe giving his best to make up for his mistake. Since the former Lille player is suspended for the upcoming three Premier League matches, it will be a good opportunity for him to find success in the Europa League.
#1 Arsenal youngsters impress against Molde
Barring Pepe, this show was ran and won by the Arsenal youngsters. Nelson scored his first goal of the season and impressed alongside Joe Willock as well as Folarin Balogun.
Willock has been performing extremely well in the Europa League. Before this game, the 21-year-old already had two goals and two assists in three UEL matches. After the victory over Molde, Willock added another assist to his tally.
Meanwhile, Balogun came on as a substitute and scored with his first touch of the game. Arsenal fans would be glad to know that Arteta wants to keep the talented center-forward. In his pre-match conference, the manager said:
"He's part of the DNA and myself and the club are working to try to extend his contract.
“We're trying to change the situation that we are in at the moment with him, and trying to convince him that this is the right place for him.”
The Arsenal youngsters put up an amazing second-half performance on Thursday to bring home all three points and secure qualification to the Round of 32.
