Normally it would be over by now, the Champions League group stage and pollinated and there are still two ties for Arsenal. A test of their physicality, the depth of their reserves and their determination. The idea is to play the extra games in January and ensure they don’t have to play two more in the playoff round in February. to zoom straight into the round of 16. Things continue to look pretty good.

This was the toughest tie Arsenal had left in the extended group stage and Mikel Arteta wanted to make it count. His team did exactly that. Bukayo Saka took the lead, his opening goal assisted and assisted by Myles Lewis-Skelly, ensuring a full debut at this rarefied level. When Saka scored his second it was to kill off a Monaco revival that is unlikely to be possible.

Blame Arsenal’s Probligacy with Gabriel Jesus the main culprit. In the end, no one was rushing as Kai Havertz came on as a substitute and pushed home by a Saka assistant. Arsenal were frustrated at Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday. They rolled on here. Arteta was without five defenders through injury and his big move was to play Lewis-Skelly at left-back.

There’s a swagger about the 18-year-old, a confidence, and he helped tear Monaco apart. It was noticeable that Arteta wanted him to slot into midfield. There was a moment during the congested opening exchange when he brought a reverse pass to Jesus that put it back to Martin Ødegaard before the captain was overcrowded.

It was a different story when Ødegaard went to Lewis-Skelly in the 34th minute. By then Arsenal had forced Monaco back; They could feel like they were in control. Now Lewis-Skelly saw Elieesse Ben Seghir coming towards him, looking for the steal and a quick transition. The youngster simply tricked around him, showing off his physicality, before hitting an excellent pass for Jesus on the left. As he crossed, Saka had a tap-in at the far post.

It was a relief for Jesus. The focus of Arsenal’s formation up to that point had been the focus for all the wrong reasons. He shot too close to Radoslaw Majecki, early on from an Ødegaard pass, while failing to get to a Mikel Merino cross. Then came the bad stuff, the big misses – the first, real depth. Jesus ran to a long Jakub Kiwior ball. He only had one Majecki to beat. The goalkeeper made the decision not to come out. Jesus shot straight at him.

Arsenal pressed. When Gabriel Martinelli won the ball high up, he released Jesus with a quick pass, with No. 9 Thilo Kehrer holding but again shooting too close to Majecki. He blocked and was first to the rebound.

Arsenal threatened to break away after the breakthrough. Ødegaard teased with his dancing feet; He drove the team with his energy. Martinelli had derived target when Ødegaard ripped at Kehrer, who had been sold short by Soungoutou Magassa, won the ball and reached for a gilded one-on-one. Ødegaard went far; Another sick Arsenal miss. There would be one more before the interval. It was Ødegaard with the beautiful pass, but Martinelli, who was in the middle unlike Jesus, shot wastefully wide.

Monaco manager Adi Hütter agreed with Arsenal, mirroring their 4-3-3 system and wanted to see if his players could win the one-on-one discussions. With Aleksandr Golovin left of the midfield three, albeit with license to drift, the idea was balance; Swampiness in possession. Monaco wanted to show why they enjoyed their first group stage appearance since 2018-19. How they beat Barcelona at home in their opening tie.

Hütter reconfigured for the second half, withdrawing Magassa, dropping Lamine Camara back into the midfield role and introducing Takumi Minamino on the left. Kehrer flashed a header from a free kick when he might have scored a goal. Monaco had greater fluidity; They pushed higher, especially their full-backs.

Arteta made changes, three at a time in the 64th minute. But the game had a different feel. Monaco should have been out of the dispute. Now they felt that the balance was there for them. Breel Embolo blew a golden chance after Minamino rolled the ball into him and spread the bottom corner.

And yet it would dive back from Monaco; A case of them directing heavy fire at their own feet. Arteta had sent on Kai Havertz for Jesus and the German could see that Monaco were uncomfortable in a sequence playing from the back. When Mohammed Salisu left a terribly short back pass for Majecki, Havertz brought the pressure. Majecki could only push at Saka, who controlled herself and turned herself in. The rest was a formality.