Tierney and Nketiah remind Arteta of quality as Arsenal cruise to Euro win
Arsenal's Gabriel (left) and FK Bodo/Glimt's Runar Espejord battle for the ball during the UEFA Europa League match at Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Thursday October 6, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Arsenal. Photo credit should read: Nick Potts/PA Wire.
It can't be easy to watch €90 million worth of Premier League pedigree heading down from Manchester to kick you out of the team but at least Kieran Tierney and Eddie Nketiah still have the Europa League.
The Scotland left back and the ex-England Under-21 striker may have been supplanted in the pecking order by the summer arrivals of City discards Oleksander Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus. But the Gunners fringe pair combined in the 23rd minute to conjure up an opening goal that reminded Mikel Arteta of their attributes as well as putting Arsenal on course for a straightforward victory over the Norwegian champions in Group A.
Gabriel Martinelli, one of just four regular league picks to start in this one, burst through the middle and, despite being under considerable pressure, was able to feed Tierney in space on the left. The defender smacked the ball goalwards, saw it smack back off the far upright and Nketiah, ever the poacher, despatched the rebound first time.
It would probably be fair to say that Arteta, the former Manchester City assistant manager, regards Zinchenko, the former Manchester City left-back, as a more accomplished technical player than Tierney, whose injury record must also have been as eye-watering for his managers as it has been for him.
Tierney, his bright green boots a reminder of the performances at Celtic that got him his move down south, nevertheless seemed determined to play his own game - belting up and down the left and banging in cross after cross - to see where it gets him.
Twice he found Fabio Vieira in the box at 0-0 and on the second the summer signing saw a rising drive tipped over by Bodo/Glimt's Russian goalkeeper Nikita Haikin.
The Gunners doubled their lead four minutes later when Vieira, a wispy little Portuguese playmaker, crossed for Rob Holding to nod home at the back post. After that it was just a case of how many more the Gunners might plunder.
Nketiah insists he does not regret penning a new deal at the end of last season having been finally given a run of games because Alezandre Lacazette couldn't hit the proverbial barn door and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been packed off to Barcelona via the naughty step.
Jesus' arrival was as unsurprising as it was unwanted as for the local lad however as it meant a return to an unedifying diet of cup games and cameos off the bench at weekends.
Nketiah further cemented his nearly man status by robbing the ponderous Marius Lode of possession just before half-time yet somehow failing to funnel the ball beyond the Norwegian's one remaining defender to give Martinelli a simple finish.
Not that it mattered much. Arteta had given goalkeeper Matt Turner another start after his debut in the first group game, a 2-1 win in Zurich, but the USA international had hardly a shot to save. The visitors turned out to be as tepid on the pitch as their 6,000-strong horde of yellow-clad fans were lively off it.
Tierney stuck to his defensive duties as Glimt, who had walked to the stadium after their bus got stuck in too narrow a street, at least showed a glimmer of ambition in the second period, with Amahi Pellegrino forcing Turner into a smart save just before the hour mark.
Jesus was brought on straight after that, but for Martinelli rather than Nketiah - a sure sign that the Englishman will be watching them both from the bench when Liverpool come to the Emirates on Sunday.
Ben White replaced Tierney for the final 20 minutes, with Takehiro Tomiyasu switching to the left of defence before Nketiah, put through by Martin Odegaard, blazed a great chance over.
Nketiah was replaced by fellow spare part Reiss Nelson and Vieira made it 3-0 in the 84th minute following some terrific touchline trickery from Jesus.
(4-2-3-1): Turner 6; Tomiyasu 7, Holding 7, Gabriel 7, Tierney 7 (White 70, 5); Lokonga 6, Xhaka 6 (Odegaard 59, 6), Marquinhos 6 (Saka 59, 5), Vieira 7, Martinelli 7 (Jesus 59, 6); Nketiah 7 (Nelson 83, 4).
(4-3-3): Haikin 7; Wembangomo 5, Lode 5, Moe 6, Sampsted 6; Vetlesen 6 (Gronbaek 73, 4), Berg 6, Saltnes 6; Mugisha 6 (Solbakken 73, 4), Espejord 6, Pellegrino 6.
: Harm Osmers 6
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