Last night, Arsenal beat Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan 3-2 to take first place in the Champions League league phase, making them the first team to win all eight matches.
If Mikel Arteta’s team advances, they would have home field advantage in the second leg of the knockout stages, according to AFP, and they were already guaranteed a spot in the round of 16.
Newcomers Kairat could never have competed with the Premier League leaders after finishing last in the 36-team standings with a single point from eight games.
If Arteta wants to make 11 changes from the team that lost to Manchester United at the Emirates for the first time this season, he could do so. The return of goalscorer Kai Havertz could be pivotal to the team’s chances of winning four competitions in the next months.
Following a year sidelined by injuries, the German finally got the start he had been waiting for.
Viktor Gyokeres scored his tenth goal of the season after only two minutes thanks to an assist from Havertz that split the defense.
As he equalized from the penalty spot, Jorginho gave the away team something to celebrate.
Quickly reestablishing Arsenal’s lead, Havertz scored his first goal of the season from just outside the penalty area.
Havertz set up Arsenal’s third goal when Gabriel Martinelli converted a cross from Havertz. This player also scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final.
Ricardinho scored a late equalizer to help Kairat salvage a positive outcome from their harrowing first season playing in the Champions League.
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