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12 hours ago
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Is there anyone who can stop Arsenal in this kind of form? The Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper, Janis Blaswich, tried his best in a spectacular first-half performance that kept the Premier League leaders at bay until Eberechi Eze smashed in his first Champions League goal and Declan Rice completed a comfortable victory after the break to seal a third successive quarter‑final appearance.
After yet another clinical performance in Europe yielded a ninth victory in 10 games this season, Mikel Arteta will certainly fancy Arsenal’s chances of getting past Sporting in the last eight despite the Portuguese side’s remarkable comeback against Bodø/Glimt that spared them a trip to the Arctic Circle.
However, after Max Dowman entered the history books by becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the weekend, this was an evening to savour for Eze. He is thriving in his first season playing in this competition after joining from Crystal Palace last summer for £67.5m and a brilliant finish provided the breakthrough just when Blaswich’s brilliance was threatening to frustrate the home supporters.
“I think he’s building a better chemistry, a better understanding with all of them. We start to understand him as well much better,” said Arteta. “When you start to make a good game, a good action, an action like that when you’re in the game, that lifts your confidence as well. That’s what every player needs. He’s handling the pressure, the situation and the expectations very well.”
With Dowman on the bench again after his milestone against Everton, there was a buzz of anticipation before kick-off and Arteta urged his players to use that momentum to their advantage. Kasper Hjulmand, the Bayer Leverkusen manager, warned Arsenal that his side wasn’t here just to make up the numbers after their impressive performance in the first leg.
A spirited draw against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich at the weekend further boosted their confidence, even if the bookmakers made them 11-1 shots to progress to the last eight. “We’ve come here to win this game,” said Hjulmand. Leverkusen again settled into their rhythm quickly but, after a slow start, Arsenal soon found theirs.
A couple of early corners came to nothing before they seized the initiative. Leandro Trossard tested Blaswich from just inside the area when he was picked out by Bukayo Saka before Gabriel Magalhães should have opened the scoring when he nodded over from a corner. Blaswich had to punch away a goalbound Rice free-kick before Saka could only direct a header straight at him.
At the other end, Piero Hincapié’s last-ditch challenge denied Martin Terrier just as he was about to pull the trigger. A mix up between Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia almost gifted Saka a goal when they left the ball for each other but the England forward couldn’t beat Blaswich at his near post. Somehow the Leverkusen goalkeeper managed to keep out Trossard’s shot from Saka’s cutback before pulling off another brilliant double save to deny the Belgium forward and then Ben White on the rebound.
The latter really should have scored into an empty net but picked out the grateful Blaswich instead. However his good fortune didn’t last much longer. The venom with which Eze struck the ball after taking a touch to control it and turn in the same movement meant there was nothing any goalkeeper could have done to stop it.
He celebrated his landmark strike with the same calmness that greeted all five of his goals against arch-rivals Tottenham this season. Arsenal must have sensed an opportunity to put the tie beyond Leverkusen as they began the second half with similar intensity. The lively Trossard was inches away from doubling their lead with a curling effort that left Blaswich grasping at thin air before Viktor Gyökeres took aim from 25 yards and forced the 34-year-old into yet another save.
Hjulmand turned to his own exciting teenager, the 18-year-old winger Montrell Culbreath, in an attempt to find a way back into the tie. But Leverkusen needed former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah to make an excellent clearance with Hincapié lurking at the back post after Gyökeres had combined with Saka down the right.
The second goal that Arsenal craved came soon after when a clearance fell straight to Rice and he advanced a few strides before dispatching the ball into the net via a kiss off the post. “Boring, boring Arsenal,” sang the jubilant home supporters.
That was the prompt for Arteta to ring the changes as Arsenal coasted to victory with the minimum of fuss despite David Raya’s excellent late save to deny Christian Kofane. After his vital late penalty in the first leg, Kai Havertz saw another goal against his former club ruled out for handball. With the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday, if they can summon this spirit again the long wait for silverware could be coming to an end very soon.
