Arsenal put four past a lacklustre AZ Alkmaar to take all three points from a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners' superiority was evident right from the off, and was soon hammered home when a Cesc Fabregas shot squirmed past Sergio Romero on 25 minutes. The lead was doubled just before half time, Samir Nasri sidestepping a defender before calmly sidefooting home. Affairs continued after the break as Fabregas took Andriy Arshavin's through ball in his stride and curled a shot over the advancing goalkeeper. The rout was completed with Abou Diaby's 72nd-minute goal, the result of a stupendous Arsenal counter-attack. AZ grabbed one back when substitute Jeremain Lens scored an 82nd-minute consolation. A scintillating performance by an in-form Arsenal side, who progress to the Champions League second round with honours.
92'
FULL TIME ARSENAL 4 AZ ALKMAAR 1
The final whistle rings out on a comfortable win for Arsenal, who reach the second round of the Champions League.
91'
WELL WIDE
Pocognoli lifts his head and goes for goal from 20 yards, but the effort is half-hearted and doesn't come anywhere near hitting the target.
88'
CRUISE CONTROL
Arsenal are cruising towards the finish line, but the bad news is that Standard Liege are currently beating Olympiakos 1-0. If they keep playing like this though, there's no way the Gunners can fail to make it through.
85'
OFF THE BAR
Nasri and Ramsey produce some absolutely sparkling interplay on the 18-yard line, working space where there was none before for Nasri to smash a shot off the crossbar.
82'
GOAL!!! AZ ALKMAAR
AZ break from an Arsenal corner and send Jeremain Lens, who had come on only moments before, clear of a static defence to sidefoot a consolation goal for the Dutch side. It's more than they deserve.
79'
FLICKS AND TRICKS
Rosicky and Ramsey come up with a bit of samba football inside the Alkmaar area, flicking the ball to each other in delightful style. Eventually Rosicky decides to take a shot, but it doesn't match the approach play and the goalkeeper gathers.
76'
INSTANT IMPACT
Rosicky makes an immediate impression, working space down the right and laying the ball off for Ramsey to force a decent sprawling save from Romero.
75'
SUBSTITUTION
Perennial crock Tomas Rosicky enters the fray, with Arshavin heading in the opposite diection.
72'
GOAL!!! ARSENAL
Arsenal produce a simply beautiful goal, moving the ball in one fluid motion from their own box to Alkmaar's. Eduardo's flicked backheel on the halfway line sets Arshavin free, and the diminutive maestro's run and cross finds Diaby for a simple finish from close range. The Gunners are in some form right now.
71'
SUBSTITUTION
Ronald Koeman sends on Pontus Wernbloom in place of Mendes da Silva.
69'
NARROWLY WIDE
Gibbs and Arshavin dovetail down the left flank, the youngster spinning inside and sending a low shot just wide via the legs of a defender.
67'
SUBSTITUTIONS
Arsene Wenger rings the changes, withdrawing star pair Fabregas and van Persie with the game won. Most sensible. Aaron Ramsey and Eduardo are the pair's replacements.
66'
YELLOW CARD
Moisander receives the first, belated booking of the night for chopping down Fabregas after the ball had gone.
63'
SUBSTITUTION
AZ withdraw Poulsen for Sebastien Pocognoli.
62'
LONG-RANGER
Maartens takes aim from a long way out, his speculative shot with the outside of the right boot sailing harmlessly wide.
60'
PANIC AT THE BACK
Jaliens plays an almost suicidal backpass to Romero, and Arshavin is onto the beleaguered stopper in a flash. The Russian is mere inches away from blocking the resulting clearance.
57'
OFF THE BAR
Pelle chests down a flick-on and volleys a stunning shot towards goal, but Almunia pulls off an even better save to stretch and push the goalbound effort onto the crossbar.
55'
DECENT FROM DEMBELE
Dembele does his best to salvage some pride for AZ, cutting along the edge of the Arsenal box and beating Gibbs before unleashing a fierce shot that Almunia can only beat hastily away.
52'
GOAL!!! ARSENAL
Arshavin picks the ball up 40 yards from goal and plays a sumptuous ball through to Fabregas, who had already lost both of his markers. The captain takes one touch before curling a shot over the diving Romero. Arsenal in full control now.
49'
FLATTERING TO DECEIVE
AZ break quickly up the pitch with the majority of the Arsenal players marooned in the wrong half. Holman sends Pelle towards goal with a deft pass, but he tries to take on too much and runs into the steadfast Gallas.
46'
SECOND HALF
The teams are out and ready to go, the referee signalling the start of the second period.
45'
AWESOME ARSENAL
The first 45 minutes have belonged to Arsenal, and on this form there's no reason to think that state of affairs might not continue. AZ have looked distinctly unadventurous, and while not playing badly as such have rarely threatened in an attacking sense. The Gunners have been the superior side, although their first goal owed as much to the error of Sergio Romero as it did to the shot of Cesc Fabregas. Samir Nasri's strike in the closing minutes of the half was much more of a peach. AZ will need a rocket in the dressing room from manager Ronald Koeman if they are to have any chance of getting back into this match.
45'
HALF TIME ARSENAL 2 AZ ALKMAAR 0
The whistle blows and the teams head for the changing rooms.
43'
GOAL!!! ARSENAL
Samir Nasri receives a pass to feet just inside the box and sidesteps the diving challenge of Moreno, leaving him one-on-one with the keeper. The young Frenchman shows a cool head as he places his shot into the corner of the net. 2-O to the Arsenal!
42'
SPECTACLES REQUIRED
The referee invites hoots of derision as he gives a goal kick when Niklas Moisander had quite clearly headed the ball out of play. Bit of a joke that one!
39'
BUTTERFINGERS
Van Persie creates some space for himself with a jinking run and works his way to the byline, from where he dinks a cross into the box. Romero is favourite to catch it, but he drops the ball and only just reclaims it at the second attempt with Arshavin lurking.
36'
FORWARDS TO GO BACKWARDS
Every time Alkmaar pass their way into the Arsenal half, they seem to suffer a sudden crisis of confidence and turn backwards, frequently working the ball all the way back through the team and to the goalkeeper. They may be a continental side, but this is ridiculous.
33'
WING WONDER
Gibbs charges down the left, exchanges passes with van Persie and sends a brilliant cross into the box, where Fabregas leaps above the defence and sends a header spinning wide.
31'
AZ ANSWER BACK
AZ are making something of their night now. In their best move yet, Pelle receives a pass and flicks the ball on to Holman, but the Australian forward fires well wide of the target.
28'
SOLO ARTIST
AZ carve out their first opportunity of the evening, Maarten Martens gliding through the midfield on a slaloming solo run before firing straight into the arms of Almunia from the edge of the area.
25'
GOAL!!! ARSENAL
Arsenal make the breakthrough as Cesc Fabregas picks the ball up on the left-hand side and drifts along the 18-yard line before firing home through the legs of a defender. It was a fairly tame shot and should have been an easy gather for Romero, but the hapless keeper seemed stuck in some kind of cement and allowed it to creep past him.
23'
ON SONG
The Arsenal fans are in fine voice tonight, which is good to hear considering the tepid atmosphere that sometimes pervades in this large and modern stadium.
20'
OFF SONG
Alex Song looks somewhat off-colour so far this evening, his wayward passes out to the flanks consistently bamboozling the likes of Gibbs and Arshavin. Hopefully the Cameroonian midfielder just needs a little time to get into the game.
17'
HEADED WIDE
Van Persie swings in a corner and Abou Diaby uses his powerful frame to climb highest and head for goal, but the effort flies wide of Romero's right-hand post.
14'
SLOW STARTERS
AZ are looking to slow the game down to the kind of pace they are more accustomed to, and hence the game has got a little more tedious as a result. So far their ponderous passing moves are coming to absolutely nothing.
11'
CHARGED DOWN
Moisander passes the ball back to his goalkeeper, who has a brain drain and inexplicably picks it up! Arsenal have an indirect free kick just inside the box. Fabregas rolls it short to van Persie, but the charging wall of AZ players manages to deflect the shot out for a corner.
9'
YOUNG GUNNER
Young Kieran Gibbs looks determined to repay his manager's faith; the youngster is racing up and down that left flank in the manner of one with a fire in his belly.
6'
FLOWING FOOTBALL
The football is flowing at a pace somewhat out of kilter with your average European match, the ball skidding off the slick surface. We could be in for a cracker here at the Emirates tonight.
3'
FIRST CHANCE
Arsenal are already showing off their patented silky skills. Nasri switches the ball over to Arshavin on the opposite wing and the Russian cuts inside to set up van Persie for a lightning-fast effort that flashes just past the far post. How's that for a statement of intent!
0'
KICK OFF
The whistle blows to get tonight's Champions League Group H clash underway. Can Arsenal make it through with two games to spare?
0'
AZ ALKMAAR LINE-UP
Romero; Jaliens, Moisander, Moreno, Poulsen; Dembele, Mendes Da Silva, Schaars, Martens; Holman, Pelle
As well as Clichy, Arsenal are missing Fabianski, Walcott, Bendtner and Denilson through injury, but Tomas Rosicky is available for yet another comeback after shaking off a knee complaint.
0'
ANGRY ALKMAAR
Although AZ Alkmaar have underperformed slightly this season, currently lying 7th in the Dutch Eredivisie, they remain a potent threat, as demonstrated when they secured that last-gasp equaliser against Arsenal a fortnight ago. Manager Ronald Koeman, who has never lost a match against Wenger, will be determined to show that fighting spirit once again.
0'
ONE TO WATCH
With first-choice left back Gael Clichy ruled out for up to a month with a suspected stress fracture of the back, Arsene Wenger will turn to young Englishman Kieran Gibbs to fill the considerable hole left by Clichy. Arsenal's gaffer, who is clearly in a very good mood at present, said recently that Gibbs could force his way into Fabio Capello's reckoning for the 2010 World Cup. Tonight would be a great time to start staking that claim.
0'
DOUBLE DUTCH
Dutchman Robin van Persie faces off against his countrymen tonight with his manager's glowing words ringing in his ears. This week Wenger took the unprecedented step of describing his young forward as possessing the best qualities of Gunners legends Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. Van Persie has certainly been impressive of late, but he must be sure to keep his feet on the ground in the face of such praise.
0'
PREVIEW
Arsenal take on AZ Alkmaar tonight at The Emirates Stadium as the Gunners look to book their place in the Champions League knockout stages. A victory could see Arsene Wenger's troops, who currently top Group H, through the group stage if Standard Liege fail to beat Olympiakos, and the Professor would dearly love the opportunity to rest his studious young star pupils in the remaining two games. Arsenal have showed some of their scintillating top form in recent matches, and on their day remain able to beat anyone. Alkmaar are no pushovers, but three points is the minimum requirement for Arsenal tonight.
Arsenal put four past a lacklustre AZ Alkmaar to take all three points from a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners' superiority was evident right from the off, and was soon hammered home when a Cesc Fabregas shot squirmed past Sergio Romero on 25 minutes. The lead was doubled just before half time, Samir Nasri sidestepping a defender before calmly sidefooting home. Affairs continued after the break as Fabregas took Andriy Arshavin's through ball in his stride and curled a shot over the advancing goalkeeper. The rout was completed with Abou Diaby's 72nd-minute goal, the result of a stupendous Arsenal counter-attack. AZ grabbed one back when substitute Jeremain Lens scored an 82nd-minute consolation. A scintillating performance by an in-form Arsenal side, who progress to the Champions League second round with honours.
The final whistle rings out on a comfortable win for Arsenal, who reach the second round of the Champions League.
Pocognoli lifts his head and goes for goal from 20 yards, but the effort is half-hearted and doesn't come anywhere near hitting the target.
Arsenal are cruising towards the finish line, but the bad news is that Standard Liege are currently beating Olympiakos 1-0. If they keep playing like this though, there's no way the Gunners can fail to make it through.
Nasri and Ramsey produce some absolutely sparkling interplay on the 18-yard line, working space where there was none before for Nasri to smash a shot off the crossbar.
AZ break from an Arsenal corner and send Jeremain Lens, who had come on only moments before, clear of a static defence to sidefoot a consolation goal for the Dutch side. It's more than they deserve.
Rosicky and Ramsey come up with a bit of samba football inside the Alkmaar area, flicking the ball to each other in delightful style. Eventually Rosicky decides to take a shot, but it doesn't match the approach play and the goalkeeper gathers.
Rosicky makes an immediate impression, working space down the right and laying the ball off for Ramsey to force a decent sprawling save from Romero.
Perennial crock Tomas Rosicky enters the fray, with Arshavin heading in the opposite diection.
Arsenal produce a simply beautiful goal, moving the ball in one fluid motion from their own box to Alkmaar's. Eduardo's flicked backheel on the halfway line sets Arshavin free, and the diminutive maestro's run and cross finds Diaby for a simple finish from close range. The Gunners are in some form right now.
Ronald Koeman sends on Pontus Wernbloom in place of Mendes da Silva.
Gibbs and Arshavin dovetail down the left flank, the youngster spinning inside and sending a low shot just wide via the legs of a defender.
Arsene Wenger rings the changes, withdrawing star pair Fabregas and van Persie with the game won. Most sensible. Aaron Ramsey and Eduardo are the pair's replacements.
Moisander receives the first, belated booking of the night for chopping down Fabregas after the ball had gone.
AZ withdraw Poulsen for Sebastien Pocognoli.
Maartens takes aim from a long way out, his speculative shot with the outside of the right boot sailing harmlessly wide.
Jaliens plays an almost suicidal backpass to Romero, and Arshavin is onto the beleaguered stopper in a flash. The Russian is mere inches away from blocking the resulting clearance.
Pelle chests down a flick-on and volleys a stunning shot towards goal, but Almunia pulls off an even better save to stretch and push the goalbound effort onto the crossbar.
Dembele does his best to salvage some pride for AZ, cutting along the edge of the Arsenal box and beating Gibbs before unleashing a fierce shot that Almunia can only beat hastily away.
Arshavin picks the ball up 40 yards from goal and plays a sumptuous ball through to Fabregas, who had already lost both of his markers. The captain takes one touch before curling a shot over the diving Romero. Arsenal in full control now.
AZ break quickly up the pitch with the majority of the Arsenal players marooned in the wrong half. Holman sends Pelle towards goal with a deft pass, but he tries to take on too much and runs into the steadfast Gallas.
The teams are out and ready to go, the referee signalling the start of the second period.
The first 45 minutes have belonged to Arsenal, and on this form there's no reason to think that state of affairs might not continue. AZ have looked distinctly unadventurous, and while not playing badly as such have rarely threatened in an attacking sense. The Gunners have been the superior side, although their first goal owed as much to the error of Sergio Romero as it did to the shot of Cesc Fabregas. Samir Nasri's strike in the closing minutes of the half was much more of a peach. AZ will need a rocket in the dressing room from manager Ronald Koeman if they are to have any chance of getting back into this match.
The whistle blows and the teams head for the changing rooms.
Samir Nasri receives a pass to feet just inside the box and sidesteps the diving challenge of Moreno, leaving him one-on-one with the keeper. The young Frenchman shows a cool head as he places his shot into the corner of the net. 2-O to the Arsenal!
The referee invites hoots of derision as he gives a goal kick when Niklas Moisander had quite clearly headed the ball out of play. Bit of a joke that one!
Van Persie creates some space for himself with a jinking run and works his way to the byline, from where he dinks a cross into the box. Romero is favourite to catch it, but he drops the ball and only just reclaims it at the second attempt with Arshavin lurking.
Every time Alkmaar pass their way into the Arsenal half, they seem to suffer a sudden crisis of confidence and turn backwards, frequently working the ball all the way back through the team and to the goalkeeper. They may be a continental side, but this is ridiculous.
Gibbs charges down the left, exchanges passes with van Persie and sends a brilliant cross into the box, where Fabregas leaps above the defence and sends a header spinning wide.
AZ are making something of their night now. In their best move yet, Pelle receives a pass and flicks the ball on to Holman, but the Australian forward fires well wide of the target.
AZ carve out their first opportunity of the evening, Maarten Martens gliding through the midfield on a slaloming solo run before firing straight into the arms of Almunia from the edge of the area.
Arsenal make the breakthrough as Cesc Fabregas picks the ball up on the left-hand side and drifts along the 18-yard line before firing home through the legs of a defender. It was a fairly tame shot and should have been an easy gather for Romero, but the hapless keeper seemed stuck in some kind of cement and allowed it to creep past him.
The Arsenal fans are in fine voice tonight, which is good to hear considering the tepid atmosphere that sometimes pervades in this large and modern stadium.
Alex Song looks somewhat off-colour so far this evening, his wayward passes out to the flanks consistently bamboozling the likes of Gibbs and Arshavin. Hopefully the Cameroonian midfielder just needs a little time to get into the game.
Van Persie swings in a corner and Abou Diaby uses his powerful frame to climb highest and head for goal, but the effort flies wide of Romero's right-hand post.
AZ are looking to slow the game down to the kind of pace they are more accustomed to, and hence the game has got a little more tedious as a result. So far their ponderous passing moves are coming to absolutely nothing.
Moisander passes the ball back to his goalkeeper, who has a brain drain and inexplicably picks it up! Arsenal have an indirect free kick just inside the box. Fabregas rolls it short to van Persie, but the charging wall of AZ players manages to deflect the shot out for a corner.
Young Kieran Gibbs looks determined to repay his manager's faith; the youngster is racing up and down that left flank in the manner of one with a fire in his belly.
The football is flowing at a pace somewhat out of kilter with your average European match, the ball skidding off the slick surface. We could be in for a cracker here at the Emirates tonight.
Arsenal are already showing off their patented silky skills. Nasri switches the ball over to Arshavin on the opposite wing and the Russian cuts inside to set up van Persie for a lightning-fast effort that flashes just past the far post. How's that for a statement of intent!
The whistle blows to get tonight's Champions League Group H clash underway. Can Arsenal make it through with two games to spare?
Romero; Jaliens, Moisander, Moreno, Poulsen; Dembele, Mendes Da Silva, Schaars, Martens; Holman, Pelle
Almunia; Eboue, Gibbs, Gallas, Vermaelen; Song, Diaby, Fabregas, Nasri, Arshavin; Va Persie
As well as Clichy, Arsenal are missing Fabianski, Walcott, Bendtner and Denilson through injury, but Tomas Rosicky is available for yet another comeback after shaking off a knee complaint.
Although AZ Alkmaar have underperformed slightly this season, currently lying 7th in the Dutch Eredivisie, they remain a potent threat, as demonstrated when they secured that last-gasp equaliser against Arsenal a fortnight ago. Manager Ronald Koeman, who has never lost a match against Wenger, will be determined to show that fighting spirit once again.
With first-choice left back Gael Clichy ruled out for up to a month with a suspected stress fracture of the back, Arsene Wenger will turn to young Englishman Kieran Gibbs to fill the considerable hole left by Clichy. Arsenal's gaffer, who is clearly in a very good mood at present, said recently that Gibbs could force his way into Fabio Capello's reckoning for the 2010 World Cup. Tonight would be a great time to start staking that claim.
Dutchman Robin van Persie faces off against his countrymen tonight with his manager's glowing words ringing in his ears. This week Wenger took the unprecedented step of describing his young forward as possessing the best qualities of Gunners legends Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. Van Persie has certainly been impressive of late, but he must be sure to keep his feet on the ground in the face of such praise.
Arsenal take on AZ Alkmaar tonight at The Emirates Stadium as the Gunners look to book their place in the Champions League knockout stages. A victory could see Arsene Wenger's troops, who currently top Group H, through the group stage if Standard Liege fail to beat Olympiakos, and the Professor would dearly love the opportunity to rest his studious young star pupils in the remaining two games. Arsenal have showed some of their scintillating top form in recent matches, and on their day remain able to beat anyone. Alkmaar are no pushovers, but three points is the minimum requirement for Arsenal tonight.