Arsenal romp into last 16 as Kai Havertz sparks six-goal demolition of Lens

The most telling snapshot of this rout, which had been clinical to the point of sterility, came a few seconds into added time. Arsenal had barely missed a beat all night but now, near the corner of their six-yard box, the Lens striker Elye Wahi had a presentable chance to gnaw the faintest dent in their lead. That was until Gabriel Magalhães, whose evening could hardly have been more comfortable until then, snuffed the opening out with a thudding challenge and celebrated in front of the home fans as if he had scored their seventh goal.

Arsenal had to settle for six but Mikel Arteta loved that moment. It spoke eloquently, chest-thumpingly, of the focus that has seen them cruise through a modest Group B in top spot with a game to spare. The crowd, who had been contented by a rampant first-half performance and further warmed by a late Jorginho penalty, would have forgiven a consolation for the visitors but that notion was anathema to Gabriel. Exactly this level of diligence will be needed when tougher continental tests arrive in the spring and Arteta was delighted by the tone his players have set.

“When the team has that body language, living every action and every game the way we do, good things are going to come,” he said. “The team wants to win, doesn’t want to concede anything, and that’s the mentality we need to become better.”

Lens were not threatened in the early moments, briefly breeding the thought they might engineer a repeat of their win in the reverse fixture eight weeks previously, but that was as good as their night got. Kai Havertz, back in the starting lineup after his heroics off the bench at Brentford, offered a warning in the 12th minute when his free header arced just wide. It was a warning shot that Lens, backed by a pulsating corner of red-and-yellow-clad fans, failed to heed.

Almost immediately Gabriel Jesus got the better of a Kevin Danso, a centre-back several inches taller, as they contested a looping ball and nodded down for Havertz to bundle past Brice Samba from close in. Havertz had anticipated sharply but Danso’s absence of aggression had allowed Jesus to forge the chance. It was entirely of a piece with everything that followed.

The next time Arsenal attacked with any menace, Danso and Facundo Medina got in each other’s way after Bukayo Saka’s attempt to find Jesus appeared to have been crowded out. Eventually Jesus took possession, creating the angle smartly and drilled a slick low finish to Samba’s right. The points, and a position among the seeded teams in the round of 16, were as good as safe already.

“I didn’t even dream like this,” said Arteta of such comfortable progress. “We’ve done it in a convincing way against a really good side. Everything happened in the right way in the first 30 minutes.”

Everybody might have happily called it a day before the second 45, which was virtually featureless bar a raft of substitutions and the away contingent’s admirable efforts to maintain an atmosphere. Lens had little to chase: they can still join Arsenal in the knockouts if they beat Sevilla at home and Arteta cajoles a victory at PSV. “We will prepare it in the best possible way,” Arteta said of that game, but the lack of stress will be welcome. The substitute Jorginho, with a VAR-awarded spot-kick, ensured pulses briefly raised again towards the end and Arsenal could bask in the cleanest of eviscerations.