ARSENAL completed the second win of their Europa League Group E campaign by toppling Qarabag in Baku. See how the action unfolded with Express Sport.
A second-string Arsenal enjoyed a 3-0 win in Azerbaijan against Qarabag in the Europa League.
Eighteen-year-old Emile Smith Rowe, a product of the club's academy was on target as the Gunners maintained their winning start in the competition.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Matteo Guendouzi also scored for Unai Emery's side who sit atop Group E with six points.
FT: Game, set and match. Unai Emery’s Arsenal have comfortably beaten Qarabag 3-0 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In truth, the Gunners weren’t really that good tonight - but winning by three-goal margins when you’re not in top gear is quite an achievement.
92: Matteo Guendouzi nearly profits from Lacazette’s blocked attempt but he, just like Danny Welbeck before him, bangs it into row z.
90: Three minutes of added time to be played.
89: Oh dear, Danny! Lacazette beats the offside trap and tees up the unmarked Welbeck to lash home, but he’s fluffed it by sending it miles over the bar.
86: Leno really wants this clean sheet. He tips Zoubir’s effort over the crossbar before collecting the resulting corner.
83: We’re down to walking pace here in Baku. Arsenal have another three points on the board and extend their winning run to EIGHT games in all competitions. Good start from Unai Emery, who nobody can accuse of not delivering results.
80: You wait ages for a player to score his first senior goal for Arsenal, and then three come along on the same night!
Matteo Guendouzi gets his name on the scoresheet with a tidy low, angled finish from just inside the penalty area. The locals have seen enough - with that, they start to pour out of the stadium.
77: I don’t know if y’all interested but Celtic are now losing 3-1 to RB Salzburg and James Forrest has been sent off. Not a great night for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
71: Saying that, Nicola Vlasic rarely featured for Everton and scored the winner for CSKA Moscow against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night!
65: Emile Smith-Rowe (18y 67d) is the youngest player to score for Arsenal in a competitive game since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Olympiakos in September 2011 (18y 43d). And now he makes way for Mesut Ozil.
64: Here comes Ozil, Mesut Ozil, I just don’t think you understand… Well I thought he was coming on for Elneny but everyone’s confused and the German remains on the sidelines.
61: Close! Qarabag midfielder Abdellah Zoubir twists and turns inside the penalty area but he’s quickly dispossessed by Guendouzi, who is almost playing as a third centre-back.
58: Far be it from me to tell the Qarabag manager what substitutes to make, but I really wouldn’t have taken off the threatening Madatov. Dzon Delarge replaces him.
52: Would you believe it?! Qarabag have dominated the early stages but it’s Arsenal who double their tally!
And it’s a deserved goal for the 18-year-old from Croydon, Emile Smith Rowe. The playmaker collects a well-timed pass from Alex Iwobi and slips it underneath the goalkeeper on the stretch.
51: Arsenal have used two of their nine live since the re-start as Qarabag go closer and closer to an equaliser. Minutes after the disallowed goal, Madatov drifts beyond Kolasinac but can’t control the pass.
48: Disallowed goal! Looks like Arsenal need more time to adapt to four at the back! Qarabag have the ball in the back of the net, but the offside flag is up. Replays show Emeghara had gone a fraction too early.
45: And we’re back underway folks. Unai Emery has replaced Nacho Monreal with Lucas Torreira as Arsenal revert to four at the back.
Bella: Arsenal need to up their levels in the second half. We were on the back foot for majority of that game and can’t keep conceding chances like this.
Eric: Qarabag a different team at home. Outplayed by Sporting in Lisbon, the Azerbaijani team is losing but outplaying Arsenal. Guendouzi and Iwobi the bright spots for the Gunners.
Matthew: Some very neat moments but a little shaky at the back for Arsenal. Qarabag look threatening down that left hand side, hasn’t been the best 45 minutes for Lichtsteiner. Lucky to have not conceded.
HT: Qarabag squander a decent chance before the break. Kolasinac doesn’t anticipate a lofted cross to Medvedev, who crashes his shot into the side-netting.
Arsenal lead, but this isn’t exactly a classic. Tough work for Unai Emery’s side.
44: Alex Iwobi has earned praise for his displays this season, and I suspect he’ll receive a few more tonight. He’s causing problems down the right and very nearly teed Smith-Rowe up for a second.
Iwobi beats his marker before serving a cutback to Smith-Rowe, whose shot is blocked. Elneny’s effort is also blocked.
42: I don’t think Arsenal have had a genuine clear-cut chance since their opener. It’s been all Qarabag and it remains all Qarabag as we approach the break.
39: Big save! Leno is really taking his opportunity in Cech’s absence with a cracking save to protect Arsenal’s lead.
Arsenal’s defence are at sixes and sevens and a poor clearance finds Ozobic on the edge of the penalty area. Leno parries the low snapshot away to safety.
36: Haha! Qarabag captain Medvedev is booked for one of the more blatant shirt pulls you'll see this season. He really committed to that over 10 yards!
33: Qarabag are starting to grow in confidence now after Arsenal asserted control early on. Mahir Madatov, who Wikipedia tells me drew comparisons with Barcelona's Hristo Stoichkov, is causing problems.
30: We’ve reached the half-hour mark and Qarabag aren’t downing tools or accepting a defeat tonight. They are up for this, as are their 69,800 supporters. So loud!
Anyway, Leno is forced into action after Kolasinac is nutmegged by Madatov. The winger aims for the near-post but Arsenal’s stopper does the job.
25: Elneny picks out Welbeck in the area with a corner, but his header flies wide. Just to let you know, Sporting Lisbon are trailing 1-0 to Vorskla Poltava in tonight’s other game in Group E. That’s good news for Unai Emery’s side.
22: Guendouzi is quite a thoughtful player. I don’t mean that he buys the lads birthday and Christmas presents. I’ve not seen a great deal of the Frenchman but he rarely gives the ball away and is happy to keep possession until an opening is available.
Looks like he’s played at this level all his life.
19: Brilliant from Arsenal. Smith-Rowe is the architect and very nearly rounds off the move. His lay-off to Elneny is switched wide for Kolasinac but the youngster can’t quite reach the low cross. He finds the side-netting.
17: Qarabag have looked the sharper of the two since Sokratis’ opener. Arsenal look vulnerable down their right flank with Lichtsteiner caught cold on more than one occasion.
The Gunners look content to sit back and soak up the home side's pressure.
14: Sokratis Papastathopoulos is the 18th different player to score for Arsenal in the Europa League since the start of last season, seven more than any other team.
13: The Qarabag players are losing their composure already as the referee ignores a blatant foul from Rob Holding. Yes, it’s a foul but no need for a caution or that kind of response. Chill out, lads!
10: It’s been a perfect start for our two British sides. Celtic are also ahead against last year semi-finalists RB Salzburg. Eduardo got the opener after two minutes.
5: You just knew the man with the most unpronounceable name in top-flight football would break the deadlock.
That’s right, Sokratis Papastathopoulos has opened the scoring for Arsenal inside five minutes when bundling home Nacho Monreal’s header.
Perfect start for the Gunners, who are looking quite comfortable in their new formation.
3: You might just recognise a few of these Qarabag players. Hannes Halldorsson is the Iceland international goalkeeper and midfielder Michel used to play for Birmingham. Who could forget, eh?
Arsenal’s bench cost three times as much as their starting XI. Not particularly useful information but I knew I would forget if I didn’t write it down. Enjoy!
Predictions? I’m not saying this to wind up Arsenal fans. I genuinely think tonight will be a real test for a heavily changed side. I’ll plump for a 1-1 draw.
17:53: We’re nearly underway here in Azerbaijan. You now there are 70,000 packed into the stadium tonight - 200 of those are die-hard Arsenal supporters. Fair play to those who’ve travelled.
Darren: I love how Unai Emery starts every interview with "Good evening." What a guy.
Kyle: Looking forward to seeing both Smith-Rowe and Iwobi. Iwobi has been excellent for Arsenal of late and every time I see Smith-Rowe I've been impressed he looks like he has a great future ahead.
Jordan: Is Sead Kolasinac playing wide left in front of Nacho Monreal? That will be interesting considering they both hug the touchline.
17:35: Arsenal face being without goalkeeper Petr Cech for up to a month because of a hamstring injury.
Arsenal said in an injury update on their official website that Cech had a "left hamstring injury" and was "expected to return to full training in three to four weeks".
As well as not making the trip to Azerbaijan, the veteran goalkeeper will also definitely miss Sunday's Premier League match at Fulham.
Cech could now face a battle to be fit in time for the home game against Liverpool on November 3.
17:30: Qarabag boss Gurban Gurbanov claims Arsenal "saved" Henrikh Mkhitaryan and were "afraid" of the pressure exerted on him by playing in front of a 68,000 capacity crowd - with the visitors taking only 200 supporters.
"I didn't want politics to interrupt the sport but we could not do anything on this issue," he said. "But Arsenal Football Club tried to save this player but it is not a matter for us if he is coming or not.
"If Henrikh Mkhitaryan would come to Azerbaijan it is not the first time, but until now a lot of Armenian sportsmen came to Azerbaijan but it is the choice of Arsenal that they didn't send him. Arsenal may be afraid that in front of 60,000 Azerbaijani fans, Mkhitaryan has some pressure and that is why they didn't send Mkhitaryan."
Tom: Looking forward to seeing Emile Smith-Rowe start another game for us. So much potential talent - in recent years we haven't nurtured raw talent the way we should - hopefully with the structural changes we made, he will be the first of many promoted into the squad.
Natalie: Hopefully my bus runs to time and I only miss the first 10 minutes!
Stephen: On paper, front three of Welbeck, Iwobi and Smith-Rowe are perfectly fit Emery's pressing from the front style, and lots of pace too. Only worry is how prolific they can be.
Run like the wind, Natalie!
17:20: Since the start of last season, 17 different players have scored for Arsenal in the Europa League. That’s either a very good thing or a very bad things for punters. My advice? Keep your cash in your pocket!
17:15: That’t a bit of an understatement really.
Qarabag have played four European games against English opposition - Chelsea and Tottenham - but lost all of them.
In those game they have scored once and conceded 14.
RB Salzburg vs Celtic, Chelsea vs MOL Vidi and Rangers vs Rapid Vienna. The last two start at 8pm and Express Sport will have LIVE coverage of both.
That’s the shameless plug over with.
17:05: Unai Emery was reluctant to discuss the reasons behind Henrikh Mkhitaryan's absence.
Diplomatic tensions exist between Azerbaijan and Mkhitaryan's native Armenia following a long-standing conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.
This can lead to visa issues for Armenians, although there are often exceptions made for sportsmen and entertainers.
However, Arsenal did not look into the application process for Mkhitaryan and instead were happy for the player to remain in London.
The 29-year-old did not travel to face Azerbaijan Premier League side Gabala while with Borussia Dortmund in 2015, although he was told by UEFA that he would be granted a visa if we wished to make the journey.
It is expected he would have again had no trouble in entering Azerbaijan this time around, had Arsenal opted to complete the process.
"He cannot travel here," Emery said. "We are here, the players with the best mentality and preparation and possibility to play tomorrow."
16:55: I think the ‘ch-ch-ch-changes’ headline is getting old too, but until I think of something mildly amusing we’re stuck with it.
Moving swiftly on, Unai Emery has made a whopping NINE changes for tonight’s Europa League showdown with Qarabag.
Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal are the only survivors from Saturday’s 2-0 win over Watford at the Emirates Stadium - the Spaniard is captain.
Elsewhere there is plenty of pace and creativity with Danny Welbeck leading the line, and flanked by Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith-Rowe.
It looks like Emery is going with a 3-4-3 of Monreal, Sokratis and Rob Holding as the centre-back partnership with Lichtsteiner and Kolasinac the wing-backs.
Dupree: Wow, look at our bench! Martinez, Bellerin, Mustafi, Torreira, Xhaka, Ozil, Lacazette… we have proper strength in depth these days!
Phil: Looks like most of our first team are being rested which begs the question: why make them travel!? Also interesting to see Unai Emery try three at the back albeit against a much weaker opposition!
Nick: Great to see Sokratis and Holding start together - that’s my preferred pairing at this moment. Mustafi just isn’t good enough.
16:45: Three cheers for Arsenal for providing the starting XI nice and early… I’m perhaps the only person on earth who gets excited about things like that. Yes, I need to get a life.
A quick glance tells me that Unai Emery has made plenty of changes with Sead Kolasinac, Danny Welbeck and Emile Smith Rowe in the line-up.
Subs: Halldorsson, Mammadov, Slavchev, Abdullayev, Delarge, Huseynov, Diniyev.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Sokratis, Monreal, Elneny, Guendouzi, Iwobi, Smith Rowe, Kolasinac, Welbeck.
Subs: Matinez, Bellerin, Lacazette, Ozil, Torreira, Mustafi, Xhaka.
16:40: Hello everyone, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Europa League.
This illustrious (I’m feeling generous) competition continues this evening with British quartet Arsenal, Celtic, Chelsea and Rangers all looking to navigate their way through the group stages.
Unai Emery’s Gunners make the trip to Azerbaijan, while Chelsea host Hungarian outfit MOL Vidi at Stamford Bridge.
On paper, this should be a routine evening for the Premier League pair - but football isn’t played on paper said my cliché-filled Under-16 coach.
OK, that’s the trip down memory lane covered. Let’s have the team news and line-ups.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss Arsenal's Europa League match against Qarabag in Baku after the club opted to leave him in London.
The forward did not make the trip to Azerbaijan due to diplomatic tensions between the country and Mkhitaryan's native Armenia.
While Unai Emery decided to bring an experienced squad, Petr Cech (hamstring) is out for a month, Aaron Ramsey asked to stay at home as his wife is due to give birth and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ill. Ainsley Maitland-Niles (leg), Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) and Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin) also remained at home.
Arsenal provisional squad: Leno, Martinez, Bellerin, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Mustafi, Papastathopoulos, Monreal, Xhaka, Elneny, Torreira, Guendouzi, Smith Rowe, Iwobi, Ozil, Welbeck, Lacazette, Nketiah.