Noni Madueke scored twice as Arsenal beat Club Brugge to maintain their 100 percent record in the Champions League and secure their place in the knockout phase.
Mikel Arteta made five changes to the side that lost to Aston Villa on Saturday, and it was one of those players, Madueke, who opened the scoring with an excellent strike. The England winger shrugged off one defender before smashing a 20-yard effort in off the crossbar.
Madueke, who opened his Arsenal account against Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, struck again after 25 minutes in Belgium. He picked up the ball inside the hosts’ half, brushed off left-back Joaquin Seys, and unleashed a venomous 22-yard shot that crashed in off the underside of the bar.
Just 80 seconds into the second half, Madueke grabbed his second of the night, heading home Martin Zubimendi’s cross.
Gabriel Martinelli extended Arsenal’s advantage to 3-0 with a brilliant finish, becoming the first Arsenal player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches.
The top eight earn automatic qualification to the last 16, and Arsenal now sit six points clear of ninth-placed Liverpool with a superior goal difference of 13.
The north London side needs just one point from their remaining fixtures, Inter Milan on January 20 and Kazakhstan’s Kairat at the Emirates a week later, to guarantee knockout football for a third straight season.
Arsenal’s victory moves them to 18 points, already two more than last season’s total required for a top-eight finish, putting them in a strong position to avoid February’s play-offs and prepare for the round of 16.
