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Arsenal won their eighth game in a row in all competitions as they defeated Qarabag 3-0 in Azerbaijan on Thursday. The win quite a simple one as the Gunners now maintain their 100 percent start to this season's Europa League campaign.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos' got the Gunners to a great start in the fourth minute when he deflected a Nacho Monreal header beyond Vagner in the Qarabag goal. Emile Smith Rowe marked his second Arsenal start with his first senior goal on 52 minutes and Matteo Guendouzi got his first Arsenal goal in the 79th minute to seal the match for the Gunners. IT
was not all one-way traffic as Bernd Leno also made 2-3 decent saves to register his second clean sheet after the one he got against Watford in the Premier League.
We take a look at how the Arsenal players performed in Azerbaijan
Leno: 9
Leno came to the rescue of the Arsenal defence when twice the Gunners allowed the Qarabag strikers to shoot. It would give him a great deal of confidence ahead of Saturday's match against Fulham.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 7
He didn't have much to do but his first goal for the gunners makes him a very important player to come through this fixture. The defending was calm and in the second half when Arsenal had even more possession, Sokratis, in fact, joined the attack many times.
Nacho Monreal: 6
Did a decent job for the first half. His assist shows us the quality of ball he can deliver on a regular basis. But his real test will be against the pressing Premier League defenders.
Stephan Lichtsteiner: 6
Didn't do anything wrong and didn't have anything right to do too. Maintained his composure. Only once or twice did he allow the left winger to drift past him.
Mohamed Elneny: 4
Should have used this match to make a point to Unai Emery but failed to do that. The fact that he is the least creative out of the Arsenal midfield resources was for everyone to see today. Was good in 1-2 tackles but quiet otherwise.
Matteo Guendouzi: 7
Guendouzi started the first 5 Premier League games, but that was because Torreira came from the World Cup being tired and not 100 percent fit. Today Guendouzi showed the other side of his skill set by scoring a goal.
Sead Kolasinac: 5
Played with freedom in the first half when he was the part of a midfield 5. But he made some inconsequential runs without delivering any good crosses. Was restricted to defence in the second half when Arsenal switched to a back 4.
Emile Smith Rowe: 7
Well, the Aaron Ramsey contract situation has been troubling the Arsenal fans but they have some positivity everytime they see Smith Rowe play. His first goal was the icing on the cake.
Alex Iwobi: 5
`The way he set up Smith Rowe for his goal was amazing. But Iwobi for 90 minutes has still a lot to prove. He loses the ball too often to frustrate the manager.
Danny Welbeck: 6
Danny has added goals to his game but got none today. It was a mixed day for him. He missed an easy chance today and also got his England call-up for International duty.
Subs:
Lucan Torreira: 6
Mesut Ozil: 5
