Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Brazilian teammate Gabriel Jesus either side of half time break were enough to take Arsenal to the top of Group B in the Champions League, as they overcame Sevilla 2-1 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium this evening.
Arsenal claimed a solid victory over Manchester City and managed to secure a draw against Chelsea in the Premier League since their last match in this competition, which would have seen them come into this match with confidence.
On the pitch, the game began with a relatively low level of intensity, with neither team gaining significant control in the initial stages, while in the stands, the atmosphere was much more lively.
The first clear opportunity of the match presented itself to the Gunners when Martinelli was put through for a one-on-one opportunity from Jesus, only to be thwarted by a solid save from Sevilla goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
The game began to open up slightly from then on, and the hosts managed to create their first big chance of the match when Jesus Navas delivered a cross from the right, which Lucas Ocampos met at the front post, but his flicked effort was just off target.
Sevilla had the lion's share of possession in the first 45 minutes and almost took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Ocampos slipped in Youssef En-Nesyri, but the forward dragged his left-footed shot wide under pressure.
However, it was the Gunners that broke the deadlock in the dying seconds of the half as Jesus displayed a touch of class, deftly turning past two defenders with a great bit of skill in midfield before threading a pass to Martinelli, who surged into the opposing box before rounding the keeper and made no mistake with the finish.
Martinelli showed incredible composure to take his chance, marking his Champions League debut with a goal, adding to his incredible record, having also scored on debut for Arsenal in the Europa League against Standard Liege, the Premier League against West Ham United, and the EFL Cup against Nottingham Forest.
It was all Arsenal in the early stages of the second half, and they went two goals up inside the first 10 minutes of the restart through Jesus, who was arguably the best player on the pitch for the first hour of the match.
The former Man City forward popped up in the opposition box before cutting onto his right foot and firing a pin-point curling effort into the top corner, leaving the keeper with absolutely no chance.
It looked as though Mikel Arteta's side were going to run away with the match from then on, but out of nowhere, Sevilla got back in it as the visitors switched off at the back to allow Nemanja Gudelj a free header from a corner that he buried beyond David Raya.
Los Nervionenses piled on the pressure in the closing stages of the match but were unable to find a late goal, and the Gunners saw out the match to take the lead in the group.
Sevilla will have to put this disappointment behind them with an important away fixture to Cadiz to come over the weekend, while Arsenal will take on Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium.
Devesh Jaganath
