Bulgarian side Ludogorets earned a shock draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the other Group A game to hand Arsene Wenger's side top spot
Lucas Perez scored a hat-trick for Arsenal as they beat Basel 4-1 in Switzerland to top their Champions League group.
Bulgarian side Ludogorets earned a shock draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the other Group A game to hand Arsene Wenger's side top spot.
Lucas netter the first after just eight minutes. Alexis Sanchez chipped a delightful ball over the defence to find Kieran Gibbs in the box and the left-back selflessly crossed for the Spaniard to tap in.
The same two combined again for the second goal just eight minutes later. And just two minutes into the second half, Lucas, this time played in by Sanchez, completed his hat-trick.
Arsenal's third ended the game as a contest but they refused to ease off. Sanchez played a delightful through ball for Mesut Ozil, who cut back to provide Alex Iwobi with his first goal of the season.
Seydou Doumbia stepped off the bench to score brilliant consolation goal but it did little to dampen the mood for the travelling fans.
Here are five talking points from the game...
1. Lucas doesn't do things by halves
Two goals against Nottingham Forest, two assists against Ludogorets, three goals against Basel. Lucas may not have been the big name Arsenal fans were hoping for in the summer but the former Deportivo and PAOK forward is slowly proving his worth.
The 28-year-old admitted in October he was expecting to play more of a "starring role" for the Gunners. That remains a tall order considering the form Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez and even Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been in recently, but his performance at St. Jakob-Park won't have done his cause any harm.
2. Ospina too good to be a reserve keeper
The decision to make David Opsina Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper in the Champions League is not one that has been universally well received. After all, it's hard to convince your star players you are serious about winning Europe's biggest club competition if you don't play your strongest side.
But performances like this show why Wenger is willing to put is trust in the 28-year-old. He produced a string of impressive saves in the first half and inspires confidence in his back four.
Petr Cech is world class and, as such, never likely to be ousted by Opsina but the Colombian is easily good enough to be first choice for a big European team.
MirrorFootball revealed on Saturday that Ospina has planned January talks with Wenger and it will be a significant coup if the club can convince him to stay on beyond next summer.
3. Arsenal get lucky
Arsenal came into this fixture fully expecting to finish runners-up in their group. Their failure to beat PSG meant even a win was unlikely to hand them top spot. As long as PSG — at home to minnows Ludogorets — equalled Arsenal's result there would be no change to the standings
But the Gunners, so often the subject of ridicule for hapless performances in Europe, were handed a huge boost by the Bulgarians.
Virgil Misidzhan and Wanderson both scored in the French capital to secure an unlikely draw against the Ligue 1 champions.
Arsenal have now qualified top of their group for only the second time in the last seven years.
4. Basel struggling to keep up with player sales
Basel have beaten Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in the last five years and have developed a reputation as a force to be reckoned with in Europe.
That reputation was reflected in Wenger's team selection for both fixtures with Basel but ultimately Arsenal made light work of their opponents in both meetings.
Basel have lost the likes of Breel Embolo, Mohamed Elneny , Fabian Schar, Yann Sommer, Mohamed Salah, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka in recent seasons. It seems those departures are finally catching up with them.
5. Jenkinson's Arsenal future looks bleak
The former Charlton full-back hasn't played since Arsenal's previous Champions League game, a 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain last month.
Wenger said last week Jenkinson had been dropped because he was low on confidence. That may be the case, but with both Mathieu Debuchy and Hector Bellerin injured he is the club's only fit right-back.
Despite pre-match talk of an upset, the previous meeting at the Emirates suggested this was always likely to be a comfortable win for the Gunners. It was the perfect game to give Jenkinson a chance to rediscover some form and confidence ahead of some tricky domestic fixtures.
Wenger, though, decided he couldn't be trusted. It's hard to see any kind of future for him at Arsenal after this.
PLAYER RATINGS
By Neil McLeman
Basel (4-2-3-1): Vaclik 5; Lang 5, Suchy 6, Balanta 5, Traore 6; Xhaka 6, Serey Die 6 (Zuffi, 74); Steffen 7, Delgado 7 (Doumbia, 54,6), Elyounoussi 6 (Calla, 60,5); Janko 6
Arsenal (4-2-3-1):
Ospina - 7
Two important first-half saves from Colombian keeper.
Gabriel - 6
Solid display from Brazilian in right-back role.
Holding - 6
Comfortable European debut at centre-back for 21-year-old.
Koscielny - 6
Frenchman did not wear gloves in the Swiss cold. Tough.
Gibbs - 8
Outstanding hat-trick of assists for the left-back.
Xhaka - 6
Winning return for former Basel player back at St Jakob-Park.
Ramsey - 6
Re-deployed in holding hole in front of Arsenal defence.
Iwobi - 7
Got in on goalscoring after quiet first half.
Ozil - 8
Threaded lovely ball to Gibbs for second goal.
Lucas - 8
Hat-trick on first Champions League start for Arsenal.
Sanchez - 8
Involved in all the good stuff for the Gunners.
Subs:
Giroud/Sanchez 69
Ramsey/Elneny 69
Walcott/Ozil 74
Referee: M De Sousa (Portugal)
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