Match Review: Sporting CP 1-5 Arsenal

We produced a statement win as we turned in a five-star performance in Lisbon.
 

After our much-needed victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, we were sure to use it as a platform to build on.

Our full-strength side wreaked havoc against the Portuguese champions. We put three past them without reply in an overpowering first half. Martinelli opened the scoring, followed by Havertz, who doubled our lead. Just before the break, Gabriel added a third from a well-worked corner.

Sporting immediately sparked hope in the second half as Goncalo Inácio fired in from a corner. However, Bukayo Saka's emphatic spot kick and Trossard's late header sealed the victory and secured our biggest away win in the competition since beating Inter Milan by the same score in 2003.
 

Starting Strong

As is often the case with European trips, we had to contend with a boisterous atmosphere. However, we were able to silence the crowd within the first seven minutes.

We picked up where we left off on Saturday, starting the game on the front foot. The two standout performers from the weekend – Saka and Ødegaard – combined effortlessly, creating a flurry of chances.

The breakthrough came in the seventh minute as Jurrien Timber exploited the space created by Declan Rice and Ødegaard and delivered a delicate pass to Martinelli, who calmly finished into an empty net.

It had taken almost seven hours of play to find the net away in Europe. Our last away goal scored in the Champions League was by Eddie Nketiah in our final group match against PSV last year.
 

Assertive Arsenal

Our early lead was thoroughly deserved as we continued to dominate play throughout the first half.

Fifteen minutes after our opening goal, Kai Havertz doubled the lead. A measured ball in behind from Thomas Partey sent Saka racing through, and his clever poke in between the goalkeeper's legs found an unmarked Havertz, who tapped home from a yard out.

Sporting struggled to cope with our patterns of play, which was all the more surprising given that they had not dropped a single point at home in the league since the season before last and had just recently fired four past Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

In the dying embers of the first half, Declan Rice's driven corner was met by the leaping Gabriel at the back post. The Brazilian sprinted away from his marker and headed in from just inside the six-yard box. His goal capped off an exceptional first half away to the undefeated Portuguese giants.
 

Sporting Hit Back

Sporting emerged after the break with a revitalised ambition and spirit. Hidemasa Morita forced David Raya into making an impressive save, which resulted in a corner. From the ensuing set-piece, Goncalo Inacio found the net after Trincao's in-swinging delivery.

The goal sparked optimism for the home team, intensifying the noise from the fans as we were forced to surrender the ball to Sporting and withstand mounting pressure.

Sporting's Swedish superstar, Viktor Gyokeres, had a couple of attempts but failed to hit the target with either.
 

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

After sustaining a mountain of pressure from Sporting, the game shifted back in our favour. A clumsy challenge from the already-booked Ousmane Diomande on Odegaard resulted in a penalty. Saka made no mistake, confidently dispatching our fourth from 12-yards out.

Rice and Martinelli, who did not feature on Saturday, were replaced by summer signing Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard in the 70th minute. The two substitutes combined for our fifth goal of the evening after Merino's shot was parried into the path of Trossard, who coolly placed his header into the net.
 

Upcoming Fixture

Our next game is a London derby against West Ham at the London Stadium in the Premier League. It will be our final game in November before the jam-packed festive period begins.

We have three Champions League group stage matches remaining, with our sights set on finishing in the top eight, which would see us advance directly to the round of 16.