The 42

BUKAYO SAKA’S double fired Arsenal a step closer to the Champions League last 16 as the England forward inspired a 3-0 win against Monaco on Wednesday.

Saka netted late in each half and Kai Havertz struck in the closing minutes at the Emirates Stadium to lift Mikel Arteta’s side into third place in the revamped league phase.

The Gunners have won four of their six European games this term and, with two matches remaining, they control their destiny in the race for the top-eight finish that guarantees automatic progress to the last 16.

Clubs that finish ninth to 24th in the 36-team first phase face a play-off to determine if they will advance.

With games against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona to come in January, the north Londoners will be confident of avoiding that unwanted obstacle.

After a damaging 1-1 draw against Fulham in the Premier League last weekend, Arsenal’s fifth win in their last six games in all competitions was a welcome tonic.

With Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis showing no signs of abating, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all absent.

That meant Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey started out of position at right-back despite missing training on Tuesday.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, came in at left-back for just his second Arsenal start, with his other coming in the League Cup against third-tier Bolton.

The youngest player to start a Champions League match for Arsenal since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011, Lewis-Skelly rose to the occasion with a composed display.

In contrast, Gabriel Jesus has gone 32 games without a goal for Arsenal and the Brazilian’s lack of confidence was clear in the hosts’ first dangerous attack.

Picked out by Gabriel Martinelli’s pass, Jesus should have hit the target but could only muster a tame shot straight at Monaco keeper Radoslaw Majecki.

Jesus failed to time his run well enough to reach Mikel Merino’s teasing cross moments later.

- Saka sparkles -

Aleksandr Golovin nearly caught out Arsenal keeper David Raya with a long-range strike that fizzed just past the far post.

Jesus’ travails showed no signs of ending as a raking long pass sent him clean through for a low shot that was too close to Majecki.

The 27-year-old was having a torrid time and, teed up by Martinelli, again he couldn’t beat Majecki with a close-range effort that drew a fine save from the ‘keeper.

But Jesus’ clever movement was at least causing Monaco problems and he played a key role in Arsenal’s 34th-minute opener.

Lewis-Skelly slipped a superb pass to Jesus, who ran in behind the Monaco defence and delivered a low cross that presented Saka with a simple tap-in for his fourth goal in his last six games.

Martin Odegaard squandered a golden opportunity to double Arsenal’s lead just before half-time as he robbed Soungoutou Magassa, but fired wide with only Majecki to beat.

Thilo Kehrer should have made Arsenal pay for their profligacy early in the second half, but his header flashed wide from 10 yards.

Arteta’s men lost concentration for a long period after the break and Takumi Minamino tested Raya before Breel Embolo drilled inches wide following sloppy defending from William Saliba.

But Arsenal emerged unscathed and wrapped up the points in the 78th minute.

Majecki didn’t clear his lines quickly enough when Havertz put the ‘keeper under pressure, allowing Saka to steer his shot into the empty net from close range.

There was still time for Arsenal to put further gloss on the scoreline in the 88th minute as Havertz turned in Saka’s shot.

Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.