Three talking points from Arsenal 4-1 Molde

Joe Willock

Three talking points from Arsenal 4-1 Molde

By Peter White

Arsenal’s bright spell of form continued on Thursday night, with a comfortable 4-1 win over Molde extending their 100 per cent record in the Europa League at the halfway stage of Group B.

Martin Ellingsen beat Bernd Leno from 25 yards to put the visitors in front midway through the first half, but Kristoffer Haugen put past his own goalkeeper to level terms on the stroke of half-time, and a Sheriff Sinyan own goal, plus strikes from Nicolas Pepe and Joe Willock, sealed the points.

Victory leaves the Gunners three points clear of the Norwegians and favourites to qualify for the knockout stages, while acting as the latest sign of the improvements boss Mikel Arteta has made to the team during his tenure as manager.

With attentions quickly turning back to the Premier League and Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa, here are three talking points from their latest win.

Why isn’t there VAR in the Europa League?

Despite eventually taking the spoils with a glossy scoreline, a much-changed Arsenal side were given a huge wake-up call when Ellingsen’s strike beat Bernd Leno and nestled into the bottom-left corner of his net.

Trailing and in desperate search of an equaliser, young striker Eddie Nketiah thought he had provided the answer two minutes shy of half-time, only for his close-range finish to be wrongly ruled out for offside.

Unlike the Champions League, VAR isn’t being used in Europa League group stage matches, and although his team ultimately got the all-important goal just moments later, Arteta was clear that such a mistake could’ve impacted the trajectory of the match.

“I don't think it makes any sense to not use VAR when we have the technology, and we all believe it's the right call for everybody to do it,” said the 38-year-old.

“We were complaining with the ref because we were told that [Nketiah] was clearly onside and obviously it's a situation that can change the game. I think it's something that they have to look at and, if possible, change it.”

Willock stakes his claim

Among nine changes to the team that beat Manchester United at Old Trafford, young midfielder Willock caught the eye with a Player of the Match display that he capped off with an 88th-minute goal.

Besides netting for the second Europa League game in succession, the 21-year-old also assisted and was full of running and energy all evening, staking a strong claim for a more regular spot in the starting XI.

Mikel Arteta

Arteta said: “We have a big squad at the moment, but I said to Joe that I really trust him.

“We are taking this competition really seriously and we want to play players who are in the best possible shape to give us a performance that we need, and Joe is one of them.”

Fellow academy product Nketiah was also a bright spark for the hosts and should’ve finished on the scoresheet, while Pepe showed the undoubted quality he possesses with a goal and an assist in an impressive final 20 minutes.

Three wins from three

Though Dundalk and Molde might not carry the same threats as the majority of Premier League teams, wins over the pair either side of the historic victory over Manchester United means Arsenal have responded to home defeat by Leicester with three wins on the spin.

In addition to proving they can mix it with the domestic big-hitters, Arteta’s side are demonstrating they have the flexibility to adapt to competing in different competitions and came through this latest challenge unscathed despite there being nine changes made to the starting XI.

While the Premier League looks to be as open as at any time since Leicester won the league in 2015/16, Europa League victory looks like a realistic route back into the Champions League.

The 2018/19 runners-up could secure a place in the last 32 with victory against Molde in Norway at the end of November, before properly testing their resolve in the knockout rounds.

For now, though, Arsenal will look to use their winning momentum as fuel to get the better of Villa - who have lost two successive games after enjoying a blistering start to the season - as they look to close in on the Premier League’s top four.

Photo credit: Getty Images

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