Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have made history by becoming the first ever side to get eight wins from eight in the reformatted UEFA Champions League and finish top of the table.
Their 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty on Wednesday night officially completed their perfect run. The night also marked some milestones by the Gunners, as it was also when a forgotten star showed everyone what they had been missing.
Striver football highlights five talking points from the win:
5. Eight out of eight – perfection
Arsenal’s perfect run saw them finish top of the group. This now means they will avoid a gruelling two-legged playoffs, which will give them the much-needed breather they need moving forward.
Rivals like Real Madrid and Inter Milan will now have to persevere in the playoffs. Arsenal’s breather, meanwhile, means they will have full weeks of preparation for some intense games, including the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. There is also a clash against Chelsea on March 1, which will help their cause.
Furthermore, Arsenal are still going strong in the cup competitions. They are currently preparing to face Chelsea in the return leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal and made the FA Cup fourth round against Wigan Athletic.
Their record now means they are only the second English side to win eight consecutive European Cup games, following Man City’s run of ten.
4. Kai Havertz shows Arsenal what they were missing
Kai Havertz started his first competitive game in 357 days and looked like he had never been away.
The German played as a shadow striker alongside Viktor Gyokeres, and his impact was immediate. He set up the Swede for his first goal with a defence-splitting pass.
His clinical left-footed finish in the 15th minute proved that his ability to ghost into the box is one of Arsenal’s most lethal secondary weapons.
Gyokeres has come under criticism, but playing with Havertz could be the catalyst that unlocks both him and Arsenal’s last third of the campaign.
3. Arteta hands more debuts to Hale End products
With the game seemingly secured by half-time at 3-1, Arteta handed debuts to 18-year-old gem Ife Ibrahim and 17-year old Brando Bailey-Joseph.
Amidst a heavy injury list, the trust shown in Ibrahim, who signed a new professional deal earlier this week, highlights the capability of Arsenal’s academy to supplement the first team.
2. Stepovers and nutmeg galore
Following the sting of a 3-2 loss to Manchester United, the Emirates was soundtracked by “oohs” and “aahs” rather than groans on Wednesday.
Several players portrayed cheeky skills at will. Eberechi Eze’s opening nutmeg and Christian Norgaard’s audacious backheel in build up to Gabriel Martinelli’s goal showed a team playing with total freedom.
A late lapse, however, allowed Kairat’s Ricardinho to score deep in stoppage time.
1. Arteta’s major milestone
The victory marked Mikel Arteta’s 200th win as Arsenal manager. Achieving such a milestone while simultaneously setting a new Champions League record underlines the trajectory of this project.
Arsenal have proven under Arteta that they are a force to reckon with in the opening two-thirds of a season. They showed this in both the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 campaigns.
That said, they need to prove that they are capable of maintaining the momentum and win something in the second half of the season as they are currently alive on all fronts.
