Champions League: Man United's 3-3 draw keeps the team in last place while Arsenal hits six to advance.
November 29, LONDON (Reuters) - On a chilly Wednesday night at The Emirates, Arsenal easily defeated RC Lens 6-0 thanks to goals from six different players, securing their spot in the round of 16 and topping Group B.
For the first time in seven years, the home team was participating in the premier club competition in European football, and they needed just one point to guarantee a spot in the competition's knockout stages. Rather, they took Lens out of the game to win all three.
'We played with the intention of dominating the game today, and we succeeded in doing so by really attacking... We were very productive today, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, told reporters.
With four victories from their five games, Arsenal has amassed 12 points, while Lens, in third place with five points, is no longer eligible to advance to the round of 16.
Arsenal's late-game hero, Kai Havertz, gave them the lead in the 13th minute against Brentford with a scrappy goal. The ball dropped to Gabriel Jesus on the edge of the box as Lens failed to clear their lines. The Brazilian then laid it off to Havertz, who poked it in close, beating Lens keeper Brice Samba.
Eight minutes later, Jesus doubled the lead. He did so by grabbing a sideways pass from Bukayo Saka on the edge of the box with his left foot, skillfully switching back to his right to send the defenders the wrong way, and finishing in the corner with his shot.
In the 23rd minute, Saka scored his third goal by bundling in a ball that was weakly parried by Gabriel Martinelli with his body. Four minutes later, Martinelli twisted the knife again with a curled shot that left Lens goalkeeper Samba lunging at thin air.