Arsenal moved closer to the knockout stage with a strong 3-0 triumph against AS Monaco at the Emirates Stadium. With two goals the 34th and 78th minutes, Bukayo Saka was the match’s standout showing his elegance and finishing power. In the 88th minute Kai Havertz rounded off the show with a late goal. Arsenal dominated possession and generated more opportunities; their 16 shots at completion—of which 8 were on target—marked a difference from Monaco’s 2. Arsenal’s position as they seek the last 16 is strengthened by the victory.
Saka denied a first Arsenal hat trick by his own teammate in Champions League win
Bukayo Saka led Arsenal to victory in the Champions League on Wednesday but was left with some regrets after being denied his first hat trick for his boyhood club by one of his teammates.
The England winger had already scored twice against Monaco at Emirates Stadium when he sent a shot toward goal in the 88th minute. The shot might have been saved by the goalkeeper, but it deflected rather unwittingly off the shin of Kai Havertz and into the net to seal a 3-0 win for Arsenal.
“He got in the way of it,” Saka said about Havertz, laughing, “but don’t worry, it’s (a hat trick) coming. It’s on the way.”
Still, with three goal contributions, Saka was again decisive for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta said the 23-year-old right winger was on his way to reaching a world-class level.
“You have to be able to do that consistently throughout many years to put yourself in that position,” Arteta said. “We can compare what he’s done in his first six years of professional football, which is exceptional, you know, and that’s it and his aim is to improve. He has the players and environment to continue to do that and I’m sure he will.”
Amid injury problems in defense, 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly was handed a Champions League debut and played at left back, where he has featured a number of times as a substitute in the Premier League this season.
The highly rated Lewis-Skelly said he was taking inspiration from Saka, who also came out of the Arsenal academy as a teenager.
“Looking up to Bukayo, he has that mindset, he has everything,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from him and I want to keep learning.”
Arsenal climbed to third place in the 36-team standings with the win.
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