Arsenal’s season starts to take shape

Arsenal 2 Montpellier 0

The fact that Arsene Wenger’s side sit second in Group B with 10 points and no longer needing anything from a difficult trip to Olympiacos to make certain of their progress was comfort enough for their long-serving manager; but the fact that Jack Wilshere, still recovering from long-term injury continued his progress by scoring for the first time since November 2010 added fervour to the celebrations.

Add in a goal-of-the-season contender from Lukas Podolski, which indicates he is starting to feel at home at his new club, and another outstanding display from Santi Cazorla and you begin to understand why this otherwise uneventful and uninspiring evening could prove important for Arsenal’s long-term ambitions.