What we learned from Molde 0-3 Arsenal

Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock

Young guns ready for action: What we learned from Molde 0-3 Arsenal

It has not exactly been classic Arsenal to do things the easy way in recent years.

And while a Europa League group containing Rapid Vienna, Molde and Dundalk should never have caused too many problems, you can only beat what's in front of you.

Mikel Arteta's side have done just that with a minimum of fuss – all while providing valuable first-team experience for an array of talented youngsters.

Thursday night's 3-0 win at Molde wrapped up qualification for the knockout stages with two games to spare and featured plenty of talking points, with the young guns again very much to the fore.

Here are three things we learned from Arsenal’s latest Europa League success…

Pepe responds in style

Nicolas Pepe came in for justified criticism following his red card at Leeds on Sunday but he issued the best possible response on Thursday.

Having skied a couple of efforts in the first half, he kept at it and was inches away from scoring a screamer in the opening minutes of the second period as his 30-yard effort came back off the underside of the bar.

The Ivorian's persistence was justified when he broke the deadlock with a fine curling finish and he would have added an assist to his tally had Eddie Nketiah headed home a golden opportunity from a superb Pepe cross.

The frustration lies in the fact that Pepe's quality is clear on nights like this and begs the question as to why he cannot deliver more consistently – along with the fact he will not be able to build on this performance in the Premier League until mid-December due to his suspension.

Nelson set for domestic duty

One potential beneficiary of Pepe's moment of madness at Elland Road is Reiss Nelson, who put himself in the frame for a start against Wolves this weekend with an excellent display in Norway.

He capped his performance by slamming home Joe Willock’s cross in a goal made at Hale End and will be delighted to have broken his duck for the season.

With Arsenal’s domestic attacking problems well documented, picking a player full of confidence who has shown he offers a goal threat appears a sensible move.

Whether it happens as soon as Sunday remains to be seen but expect to see the 20-year-old feature more heavily in the Premier League as the fixtures pile up over Christmas.

Balogun and Smith-Rowe seize chances

Folarin Balogun had played just 16 minutes of first-team action this season prior to last night, while Emile Smith Rowe was yet to feature at all.

But there was no lack of sharpness from either after they appeared off the bench at Molde, as they linked up to score the third goal which sealed the outcome.

Balogun's strike came within a minute of his introduction, with Smith Rowe having entered the fray seven minutes previously, and showed a glimpse as to the potential in both players.

Mikel Arteta is a fan of Smith Rowe, who could also help provide a different option for Arsenal in the Premier League, and the 20-year-old will hope for further opportunities to shine in the weeks to come.

Balogun is in the same boat and neither player did their chances any harm in Norway.

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