Sporting manager and captain both single out one Arsenal star who was impossible to stop
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It was, to some extent, a story of two centre-forwards as Arsenal hammered a Ruben Amorim-deprived Sporting side 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
On a rare offday for talismanic centre-forward Viktor Gyokeres – brilliantly marshalled by William Saliba despite rattling David Raya’s post late on – it was his opposite number at the other end of the pitch who got under Sporting’s skin and slipped between their lines.
Kai Havertz ended something of a mini goal-drought in Lisbon. His close-range tap in during a dominant first-half, following some sterling work from Bukayo Saka, was his first Arsenal strike in four matches.
But it was the German’s positioning and movement which was the topic of much discussion amongst those of a Sporting persuasion at full-time.
New head coach Joao Pereira highlighted the qualities of Saka and Gabriel Martinelli pre-match. And all three of Mikel Arteta’s frontman would end up on the scoresheet alongside Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard.
And Morten Hjulmand, Sporting’s highly-rated captain, saw first hand from his role in front of the backline just how effective Havertz’s roving ‘false nine’ role can be when it comes to disrupting the opposition and opening up spaces for his teammates to drive into.
Sporting highlight Kai Havertz role in Arsenal thrashing
“I think we gave too many chances away and they are very efficient, so it was a tough night,” Hjulmand sighs, speaking to reporters at full-time. “It was not good enough.
“When they put their striker more as a number ten and as sometimes like a number eight, they will have more players in midfield. And we could feel that on the pitch, and it’s also a good opponent.”
Former Portugal international Pereira, suffering such a humiliating defeat so early into the post-Amorim era, admitted that he had planned for Havertz to lead the line as something more of a classic centre-forward.
“We were expecting Havertz to be higher up, and he started to drop a lot [into midfield],” Pereira admits, the alterations he made at the interval undermined as Bukayo Saka slammed home a penalty to all-but secure the three points just past the hour mark.
“We changed at half-time, responded well, and then the penalty made it worse.
“We conceded a goal very early on [Martinelli opened the scoring after seven minutes] which caused some unrest. Then, the players felt it a bit when it was 3-0 at the end of the first-half. At the start of the second-half, we reacted excellently until the penalty.
“We could have made it 3-2, but we didn’t. And we were penalised for the poor start to the game.”
Mikel Arteta lauds Martin Odegaard after Champions League cruise
After losing away to Inter Milan last time out, Arsenal climbed back into the Champions League’s top eight after scoring five goals in an away fixture for the first time since 2008.
It is no coincidence, meanwhile, that Arsenal look to have returned immediately to their free-flowing best since the return of Martin Odegaard from injury. Eight goals in two games now with the Norwegian back in the starting XI, Arsenal cruising past Nottingham Forest 3-0 before running riot in Lisbon.
Bukayo Saka is delighted to see the ‘unbelievable’ Odegaard back in action, and he is not the only one.
“For sure [this is my best European win in charge of The Gunners],” Arteta smiles. “Especially against the opponent that we played in their home. I don't think they've lost here in 18 months.
“They've been in top form, they've been better than everyone they've played here. To play to that level with the fluidity that we've done today, very pleased.
“[Odegaard] was excellent again. I think all the boys were. If not you don't have the dominance and the scoreline that we've managed to get out of the game today. They were all exceptional today.”
