Arsenal continued their impressive form with a commanding 3-0 win against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
Mikel Arteta was able to rotate his squad ahead of a huge clash against an out of form Liverpool side at the weekend, with fringe players like Rob Holding coming into the side and making an instant impact. The Gunners moved to the top of Group A with the win against the Norwegian outfit as they look to qualify for the knockout rounds as soon as possible.
Goals from Eddie Nketiah, Holding and Fabio Vieira were enough to ease to a comfortable victory for Arteta's side, whilst also allowing key players such as Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard to take a well-earned rest ahead of the clash against Jurgen Klopp's side this weekend.
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Vieira and Nketiah stood out as the top performers at the Emirates Stadium, with the former picking up a goal and an assist as he continues to challenge Odegaard for a regular first team spot after completing a £35million transfer to north London in the summer.
So, after Arsenal's impressive win against Bodo/Glimt, here's how the national media reacted to the win.
"Nketiah has seemingly drastically improved the physical aspects of his game, displaying a newfound strength on a number of occasions to shrug off oncoming challenges. Throw into the mix that Nketiah's trademark 'fox in the box' style approach to forward play is still very much present and Arsenal have quite the deputy striker on their hands.
"With the stern test of Jurgen Klopp's side awaiting them on Sunday, most would have assumed that plenty of Arsenal's most important players would have been given a rest for a Europa League group stage clash at home. Arteta was keen to make sure everyone was aware of his seriously Arsenal were taking their Norwegian visitors though and therefore gave all three of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard minutes ahead of the weekend.
"Despite missing the entirety of pre-season with an ankle injury, Arsenal fans can be incredibly pleased with what they have seen from Vieira so far. The mercurial midfielder got himself an assist early on with his incredible cross that found the head of Holding, before Vieira got in on the act himself just before the full-time whistle.
"He has Jesus to thank, after the Brazilian's sensational assist left Vieira with what was effectively a tap-in to put the game beyond any doubt and seal the win for Arsenal. While Odegaard remains the first-choice attacking midfielder in this Gunners side, Vieira's efforts are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, such is his technical quality."
"You imagine this chapter might be airbrushed from Bodo/Glimt folklore before too long. Their rise to the top of Norwegian football – and the upper echelons of European competition – has included some astonishing and memorable nights. Alas, this one had no fairytale ending.
"Instead, it proved a comfortable evening for Arsenal, one that bodes well at the start of a punishing month for Mikel Arteta’s side. Sunday-Thursday-Sunday is their schedule between now and the World Cup and navigating that will require players on the fringes of Arteta’s squad to prove their worth.
"The win was enough to take Arsenal above Glimt to the top of Group A. Six points from six. They lead the Premier League too. It really has been a fabulous start to the season and last night, the invention and intensity with which this much-changed team played at times must augur well. Eight changes in personnel but no huge disruption."
"If a routine Europa League group stage win is remembered for anything in a few months’ time, Arsenal’s fans might recall the mesmerising run along the byline by Gabriel Jesus that allowed Fábio Vieira to garnish the scoreline late on. Yet the most telling sequence arguably came shortly after the hour. Bodø/Glimt had improved since the interval and a dangerous raid down Arsenal’s left was their latest attempt, conviction growing each time, to erode a two-goal deficit.
"Busting everything to stop them was the blistering figure of Jesus, making up 60 yards and finally cutting out the danger inside his own box. Jesus’s relentlessness appears to be rubbing off. Arsenal won this game so easily because they treated Bodø/Glimt like any other opponents, destroying the Norwegian champions in a ferocious first half and making sure the game was in effect won before legs tired and minds wandered.
"Only Gabriel Magalhães, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli were retained from the starting XI that overwhelmed Spurs but the supporting cast turned in a display of largely similar concentration: they previously lacked such consistency of performance and, even if the occasion was humdrum, it bodes well. The atmosphere was several notches above low-key thanks to a healthy home support, perhaps buoyed more by the excitement that surrounds their team than by the overdue return of continental football here, and a vibrant Bodø/Glimt following clad en masse in custard yellow."
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