Galatasaray 1-4 Arsenal: 5 talking points

A brace each from Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey helped Arsenal go back home with a comfortable 4-1 victory with a second place finish in Group D confirmed.Podolski opened the scoring in the third minute itself, before Ramsey scored his two goals to triple the visitors' advantage. The German then heaped more misery on Galatasaray in the dying embers of the game, as he got his second goal for the night. The home team did register on the scoresheet through Wesley Sneijder, who scored a bullet free-kick.Here are the 5 talking points from the game:

#1 Lukas Podolski makes his case to start games

Lukas Podolski has been a fixture on the Arsenal bench for a large chunk of this season but Wenger’s decision to play him up-front for this game proved to be a master stroke as the Germany international dazzled and sent a strong message to Wenger as to why he deserves a place in the starting line-up.

Podolski initiated Arsenal's goal scoring just 170 seconds into the game, with a neat finish from the left side of the penalty area. Deep into stoppage time in the second half, the 26-year old added another strike to his name after a strong run through the opposition half, which culminated with him unleashing a fierce drive.

With the fixture list only getting congested in the next month, Podolski’s display would definitely have given Arsene Wenger food for thought

#2 Arsenal\'s attacking verve diminished after Ramsey\'s substitution

Aaron Ramsey was the best player for Arsenal in the opening 45 minutes of the game and not only did he bag a brace in the space of 18 minutes, he also had a hand in Podolski's early opener.

The injury-prone midfielder was substituted at halftime and that decision affected the visitors’ play as they couldn’t sustain the flair and tenacity that the Welshman brought to Arsenal's attack in the first half.

The likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sonogo were subdued in the second half and failed to make a mark in Ramsey's absence.

#3 Promising debuts for Arsenal\'s youngsters

Debutants Gedion Zelalem and Ainsley Maitland-Niles were brought on in the second half and performed decently in the time they were on the field. The youngsters were solid at the centre of the park and made the most of the playing opportunity handed to them.

Zelalem was controlled in possession and technically good, while Maitland-Niles supported him well. Stefan O'Connor, another player to be handed his debut, deputised for the preferred right-back Mathieu Debuchy and performed his duties at the back with aplomb.

The newbies made an encouraging start to life in the first team, and what remains to be seen is how much can they build on it in the coming days.

#4 Galatasaray pay the price for their wastefulness

With yet another abject subjugation, the Turkish side justified their standing as one of the worst teams in the competition this season and deservedly bowed out of the competition as they finished at the bottom of Group D.

Galatasaray’s defensive vulnerablities were gravely exposed by a clinical Arsenal side and they were equally deplorable at the other end of the pitch as they squandered away a host of chances. The fact that they had only 7 out 32 shots on target adds more substance to my statement.

At the end of the day, despite the slight improvement in their game in the second half, they had nothing to cheer about and were wiped out of the competition in the most embarrassing way possible.

#5 Wesley Sneijder hasn\'t lost his goal-scoring touch

If there was one player who stood out from the rest of the Galatasaray players, then Wesley Sneijder was the man. The Dutchman was a consistent threat going forward and troubled the Arsenal defence on quite a few occasions. He added some much needed guile to an otherwise toothless attack.

Sneijder may not be hogging the limelight these days, but he has been vital to Hamza Hamzaoglu’s side,who are making big strides domestically. His exquisite free-kick moments before the final whistle may have come as a mere consolation, but without him, Galatasaray would have been at the receiving end of more punishment.