Arsenal 1-0 FC Zurich
by Layth Yousif
at Ashburton Grove

ARSENAL qualified for the knock-out stages of the Europa League after a cracking long-range strike from Kieran Tierney in the 17th minute of their clash with FC Zurich was enough to seal a crucial win on an evening fraught with tension.

The 25-year-old former Celtic defender showed excellent technique to catch the ball sweetly and drive past the visitor’s keeper Yanick Brecher to give Mikel Arteta's side a slender 1-0 victory.

The tight triumph ensured Arsenal finished top of Group A, thereby avoiding the unwelcome prospect of a two-legged February play-off against sides that have dropped down from the Champions League - which includes such luminaries as Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk.

A chilly North London night was punctuated by a series of firecrackers and flares that were let off by the travelling support from Switzerland, which posed far more questions about the veracity of searches outside the away end at Ashburton Grove, rather than providing any inherent pleasure from pyro theatrics. Certainly, amid reports that home supporters had the plastic tops of their water bottles confiscated by over-officious home stewards, while travelling fans were given carte blanche to do as they pleased.

The mischievous among those gathered in N5 may have pointed to the fact that the side led by coach Bo Henriksen - already Zurich's third boss this term - were so poor, those following the team needed a distraction from their deeply underwhelming play on the field.

Yet a second goal to make the evening far more comfortable for the Gunners faithful failed to materialise. Not least when ten minutes before the break, Eddie Nketiah's powerful header was saved well from Brecher to deny the stand-in striker, who was selected to play in an attacking trident behind captain for the night, Gabriel Jesus.

Two goal hero from Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Reiss Nelson, retained his place, as Arteta's side walked the line between gunning for a required victory, versus attempting to conserve energy, with the vital London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday fast approaching.

The second half turned out to be a rather fraught affair with the news that group rivals PSV had doubled their lead at Bodo/Glimt, meaning Arsenal could not afford a slip-up, if they wanted to avoid two unwanted play-off matches.

As the match wore views were further clouded by dense smoke across the pitch, that came when Zurich fans unleashed additional pyro and firecrackers - that had also evaded embarrassingly paltry stadium searches - to add to the sense of theatre, even if joy was lacking from the home fans until the all-important three points could be assured.

To that end fit again Bukayo Saka and another scorer from the weekend's rout of Premier League bottom side Forest, Thomas Partey replaced Mohamed Elneny and the underwhelming Jesus, whose miss after the break was redolent of a striker who hadn't scored for eight matches.

“It does bother him for sure,” Arteta conceded, adding: “When he scores two, he wants to score four. He had a couple of good chances but what he generates for the team is amazing. Last week he gave three assists. Today he was involved in every action again. The goals will come.”

As the clock ticked down, Zurich's Bohdan Viunnyk hit the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box, as Gunners fans willed Belgian referee Erik Lambrechts to blow the final whistle.

To the relief of Gooners everywhere, not least those massed in the stadium, stifled with fear of a late goal for the visitors, the end finally came, and as the smoke cleared - literally as well as figuratively - Arsenal found themselves top of the group with five wins from six matches - and a much-coveted place in the last 16.

“Job done. I don't think it was the prettiest game we have played but we managed to win it,” Arteta said after the match. “Today was really important. We know how important it is going to be with all the teams playing in February. Winning helps winning.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room is much better after a win than a loss.”

At this stage of the season, given Arsenal's tremendous start to the campaign, all that matters is the win. Chelsea await at the weekend as Arteta's weary wonders count off the matches until this damned 2022 World Cup intervenes.