Arsenal concluded their Europa League group-stage campaign with a 1-0 win over Azerbaijani champions Qarabag FK on Thursday evening.
The only goal of the game was scored by surprise starter Alexander Lacazette with 16 minutes on the clock.
Lacazette found the far corner once picked out by Mesut Ozil for a moment of quality an on otherwise uneventful night in North London.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Europa League clash between Arsenal and Qarabag FK at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are already through to the last 32 of the competition as Group E winners, while the best their opponents can hope for is a third-placed finish - a surprise result is required in North London if that is to happen.
The Gunners got the job done with a game to spare and therefore have the luxury of being able to rotate this evening. Unai Emery admitted that he intends to use this game as an opportunity to give some emerging talents a chance to shine, though the starting lineup itself should not be too dissimilar to the one we saw in Kiev against Vorskla Poltava a couple of weeks ago. On that note, let us check out the confirmed team news...
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Martinez; Jenkinson, Sokratis, Koscielny, Maitland-Niles; Elneny, Willock; Saka, Ozil, Nketiah; Lacazette
SUBS: Iliev, Medley, Monreal, Gilmour, Guendouzi, Mkhitaryan, John-Jules
Emery makes nine changes on the back of the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town here last Sunday, retaining just Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Alexandre Lacazette from that late victory. Sokratis' inclusion is down to the fact that Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi are both out injured, and the Greek centre-back will himself be suspended against Southampton in a few days' time so there is no risk of fatigue kicking in.
As confirmed by Emery on the eve of the game, Laurent Koscielny makes his return to action following a seven-month spell on the sidelines. Koscielny injured his knee in the semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid in May and had the heartbreak of missing France's World Cup success as a result, so he will be desperate to make up for lost time. In fact, Koscielny is likely to be asked to play twice in three days if he comes through this one unscathed.
It also not that surprising to see Mesut Ozil return to the starting lineup, as the German playmaker has sat out Arsenal's last four games since the 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on November 11 and is desperate need of some minutes. Ozil, Sokratis, Lacazette and Koscielny provide plenty of experience, as does Mohamed Elneny, who now relies on cup competitions for his appearance fees.
There is also news of a first start for Bukayo Saka in attacking midfield, likely alongside Eddie Nketiah and Ozil, but Emery may instead opt to put Lacazette outside and Nketiah through the middle. Elsewhere, Emiliano Martinez is preferred to Petr Cech in goal, coming in for his first start in some four years. Switching attention to the bench, Iliev, Medley, Gilmour and John-Jules will all be desperate to get some minutes.
QARABAG FK TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Vagner; Rzezniczak, Sadiqov, Huseynov; Medvedev, Slavchev, Qarayev, Michel, Guerrier; Madatov, Zoubir
SUBS: Magomedaliev, Abdullayev, Agolli, Diniyev, Mammadov, Ozobic, Quintana
Switching attention to the visitors, the brilliantly-named Gurban Gurbanov has gone with a 3-5-2 formation, although it is probably fair to assume that it will be more of a defensive five-man backline than the setup suggests. There is no Innocent Emeghara for the Azerbaijani champions tonight - a player well known to Stephan Lichsteiner and Granit Xhaka - as he is carrying an injury that will likely keep him out until next year.
Araz Abdullayev was widely expected to start in Emeghara's place, having been used from the off in three Europa League matches this term, but Gurbanov instead opts for Mahir Madatov and Abdellah Zoubir up top. Zoubir was the player who registered what turned out to be a consolation strike for Qarabag in their heavy loss to Sporting Lisbon last time out in this competition.
Unai Emery makes nine changes to Arsenal's starting lineup, retaining only Alexandre Lacazette and Sokratis Papastathopoulos from the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town here four days ago. There is a first start in the famous red and white for youngster Bukayo Saka, while Laurent Koscielny and Mesut Ozil are also brought back in following spells on the sidelines - the Frenchman's lasting a full seven months.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Arsenal's 3-0 win on October 3 marked the first time that they had ever faced off against Azerbaijani opposition in a UEFA competition. Qarabag have not fared well at all against teams from the Premier League, meanwhile, losing all five previous encounters and scoring just once - that coming from the penalty spot in a 3-1 loss up the road at Tottenham Hotspur's former White Hart Lane home in September 2015.
Arsenal got the job done in Group E with this game to spare thanks to goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Willock in their 3-0 win over Vorskla Poltava two weeks ago. A top-two spot was already assured prior to that trip to Ukraine, which turned into a bit of a logistical nightmare as the venue of the match was moved to a completely different city a couple of days beforehand.
The Gunners made light work of Vorskla, though, as they did against tonight's opponents on matchday two when earning a victory by the same 3-0 scoreline - Sokratis, Smith Rowe and Guendouzi all on target that night. That makes it four wins and a draw from five Group E matches and 13 points from a possible 15, matching their tally from the 2017-18 season when they went on to reach the semi-finals.
Emery, a three-time winner of this competition with Sevilla, will be hoping to go at least one step further than Arsene Wenger did in reaching the last four in his final campaign at the Emirates Stadium helm. The Spaniard has got his squad rotation spot on so far, making the most of his depth to ensure that his players are not warn out heading into this hectic period. Only two of the starters from the win over Huddersfield are used again tonight.
Arsenal have not concede in the Europa League since their 4-2 home win over Vorskla on the opening matchday and, even accounting for the 0-0 draw with Sporting, they have scored 11 goals at the other end - a positive return in both regards. The Sporting stalemate last time out at the Emirates Stadium was not the greatest advert for UEFA's secondary competition, but a point proved enough to send Arsenal through to the last 32.
The luxury of rotating his side is key for Emery, who must also prepare his players for a trip to Southampton on Sunday and games with Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley before Christmas. Then comes a run of three games in the space of a week after December 25, including a standout trip to Liverpool that will have plenty riding on it for both teams. The 3-0 win at Vorskla means that Arsenal cannot be caught at the top of Group E so eyes are now on those tricky domestic games.
The Gunners beat Huddersfield 1-0 through one of the last kicks of the game, with Lucas Torreira making it two goals in a week with his impressive acrobatic effort. It is now a case of Emery's side keeping that momentum going into the Southampton match on Sunday, having built up an unbeaten run in all competitions that spans 21 matches since losing back-to-back games in the opening month of the campaign.
Despite their four-month unbeaten run, Arsenal still find themselves just outside the Premier League's top four. That can largely be explained by no points being picked up from the first six on offer, but more so because of a run of four draws in six matches before just about overcoming Huddersfield last weekend. The Gunners are well positioned in the league, while also battling for silverware on three fronts in the cup competitions.
DID YOU KNOW? Arsenal require another clean sheet tonight to make it five in a row in the Europa League, which would equal the competition's all-time record, jointly held by Napoli and Red Bull Salzburg. Eleven teams have managed to keep four-successive shutouts, including Premier League sides Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Arsenal have had no trouble progressing out of a favourable group, winning four of their five matches and drawing the other against Sporting Lisbon here just over a month ago. The Gunners booked a place in the last 32 with that home stalemate and followed it up with a 3-0 win away to Vorskla Poltava a fortnight ago to nail down top spot.
Five-in-a-row Azerbaijani champions Qarabag make this latest trip to the English capital with little to play for on the face of it, with a heavy loss to Sporting last time out ending off their hopes of finishing in the top two. That 6-1 thrashing was their heaviest-ever loss on home soil in European competition, leaving them on three points from their five Group E matches.
Those points came from a 1-0 win over Vorskla on matchday four, though despite shaking off the Ukrainian side, they are still rooted to the bottom of the group due to their inferior goal difference. Vorskla, incidentally, are away to Sporting tonight so there is a slight chance that Qarabag could yet finish in third place with a surprise point at the Emirates Stadium. Stranger things have happened.
Third place is therefore the best Qarabag can hope for as another European campaign comes to an early end - they have still not managed to reach the knockout stages of a UEFA competition. The Horseman, as they are known, have competed in either the Europa League or Champions League in each of the last five seasons, winning the Azerbaijani top flight in four of those.
They have work to do if they are to come out on top for a sixth year running, though, as they find themselves three points adrift of Neftci Baku following a run of defeats in October, including a 2-1 reverse to the current pacesetters. They have slowly returned to form since then, however, with high-scoring wins over Kesla and Zira FK leaving them well poised to pounce on any slip up from Neftci.
Qarabag are now tasked with picking up a famous - and indeed rare - away win on the continent to end their latest European adventure on a high. Seven of their 10 Europa League away matches have ended in defeat, scoring just three times in the last six of those, but they have conceded more than once on just one occasion during that sequence - also at the hands of Sporting.
The Horseman really do have their work cut out tonight, then, as they face an Arsenal side boasting a pretty impressive home record in this competition. Since seeing their 19-year run of Champions League football come to an end in 2017, the Gunners have won five and drawn three of their nine Europa League matches staged in North London - the solitary defeat coming at the hands of Ostersunds in the first knockout round in 2017-18.
MANAGERS' COMMENTS!
Unai Emery: "Our first mind in this competition is to be first in the group - which we have done. But we respect this competition and Qarabag. Our objective on Thursday is to win; we will give a players chance to take responsibility and confidence. We are going to use the match with some different players, with some coming from Under-23s."
Gurban Gurbanov: "We can be strong physically, but in terms of creation and pace, very important factors, we must improve our game play and vision. This is one of the strongest teams that we have faced and is why we must always play at this level - to improve our physical and technical skills. Unfortunately we are still far from this level, we are a very small football nation and England's top sides are 100 years ahead of us."
Emery says that Arsenal "respect" the Europa League and will therefore give their all this evening, which his team selection reflects in many ways. There are a number of rookies on the bench, but Bukayo Saka is the only debutant in the starting lineup. This match is all about keeping the momentum going into the busiest period of the domestic season, with the games coming thick and fast over the next three weeks.
Qarabag boss Gurbanov concedes that an improvement is needed from his side tonight, meanwhile, on the back of their heaviest-ever home loss in European competition against Sporting two weeks ago. However, the former Azerbaijan boss also admits that the level of his side's domestic league is '100 years behind' that of the Premier League. Anything less than a straightforward win for Arsenal would be a real surprise.
KICKOFF: Qarabag FK, who have just one win from their previous five Group E matches, get us up and running at the Emirates Stadium on this final European matchday before Christmas.
Subdued atmosphere in a half-empty ground tonight. Not the easiest of matches for Emery to get his players motivated for - the reward for getting top spot done and dusted with time to spare, I guess!
A quiet start to the match, with Arsenal being allowed to ease their way into the contest. Qarabag have effectively gone with five men across the back, though when they attack they have Madatov and Zoubir in an advanced position.
Willock is blocked off the ball by Michel and Arsenal have a chance to get the ball into the box for the first time from the resulting free kick. Qarabag stand firm, though, and the ball is cleared away with relative ease.
SAVE! Not a great deal has happened in the opening 10 minutes, other than Arsenal patiently knocking the ball around in Qarabag's half. The first shot has just arrived, though, with debutant Bukayo Saka's deflected curler being pushed to safety.
Gurbanov will see this as one ninth of the task being completed, with his side just having to see through another 80 minutes. That Saka shot aside, Arsenal have not really offered a lot to suggest that they have goals in them.
STAT! Unai Emery has lost just one of his 23 Europa League group games in charge of Valencia, Sevilla and Arsenal combined and is unbeaten in the competition group stages since November 2014.
A promising move from the visitors culminates in a cross from the right being pretty comfortably dealt with by the Arsenal defence. The Horsemen have scored just one goal from open play in this term's Europa League proper - that proving to be a consolation in their 6-1 loss to Sporting.
No real urgency to Arsenal's play in the opening quarter of the contest, which is entirely understandable. Still just the one shot of any note at either end of the field, which saw Saka test Vagner with a decent effort from 18 yards.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 QARABAG FK (ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE)
They have barely managed to get out of first gear, but Arsenal have made the breakthrough here. Nketiah won the ball back high up the pitch and it fell to Ozil, who slipped in Lacazette inside the box. The Frenchman went across Vagner with his low shot and found the far corner - great finish.
Sokratis produces a good challenge to block the shot from Medvedev, who is starting to play more like a wing-back now. The corner comes in and hits Saka on the leg before going behind for another set-piece, which again comes to little.
That is Lacazette's first goal in this season's Europa League in his third appearance. The Frenchman is the one surprise name in the Gunners' starting lineup tonight, and will surely play no more than an hour ahead of the Southampton trip.
Qarabag's corners are being taken by central defenders. Set-pieces appear to be the visitors' only route to goal - they have struggled to create much from open play in their five previous Group E games.
Arsenal are still in first gear, not really looking like troubling the opposition. The opener came from a Qarabag error, as Slavchev was robbed of possession by Nketiah before the more experienced Ozil and Lacazette took over.
Emery's side appear to be going through the motions, which is never a good sign with less than a third of the game played. Qarabag need to get at their opponents a little more - they are potentially there for the taking.
One of the more comfortable evenings of this maiden campaign in North London for Emery so far. Half an hour played and Arsenal have scored from one of just two attempts that they have mustered against their already-eliminated opponents.
A rare spell of possession for the Horsemen, which is focused down their left and Arsenal's right. Again, though, the move came to an end with the ball going anywhere near the Arsenal box.
This match is almost like a friendly at the moment - and unfortunately not a testimonial, which usually promises goals. Emery will no doubt want a second goal to add to Lacazette's strike so that he can make more changes.
A bit of a worry for Emery as Ozil appears to have picked up another injury. The German playmaker is not moving freely at the moment and may well be taken off if he fails to shake off the knock.
On the topic of Ozil, who appears to be OK to continue, his assist for Lacazette's opener was his first for the Gunners since October, when setting up a goal against Leicester City.
Nketiah wins a corner from his near-post delivery and then heads over the crossbar from the set-piece. Five minutes of a quiet first half left to play and it is the Gunners who are in control of the match. Sporting lead Vorskla 2-0 in the other Group E match, incidentally.
Arsenal work the overload down the right but do nothing with the man advantage. Emery will surely demand more from his players in the second half, especially with just the one goal between the teams.
There has been little sign of a second goal arriving before half time. It has, in truth, been a poor first half for the neutral. Saka and Lacazette with the only two shots of note, with the latter finding a way past Qarabag keeper Vagner.
HALF TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 QARABAG FK
Arsenal take a one-goal lead into the interval thanks to a low strike from Alexandre Lacazette 16 minutes in, assisted by fellow senior ace Mesut Ozil. That aside there has been very little to shout about in a quiet match that will surely only get better after the restart.
Unai Emery made nine changes on the back of the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town here four days ago that kept his side's momentum going, bringing in Laurent Koscielny for his first appearance in seven months and Mesut Ozil for his first outing in a month. It was one of those retained from the Huddersfield game that opened the scoring for the Gunners, with Alexandre Lacazette powering the ball across Vagner into the far corner of the net once slipped in by Ozil.
That was Lacazette's first goal in this season's Europa League at the third attempt, while also marking the first assist claimed by Ozil since the October win over Leicester City. Lacazette's moment of quality aside, though, the first half offered little in the way of entertainment.
Debutant Bukayo Saka cut inside and curled a deflected shot on target, which Vagner did well to push aside, but that would prove to be it in terms of notable action. Emery has a number of youngsters on the bench no doubt raring to come on, but he will likely hold off from introducing them until the points are safely in the bag.
BENCH WATCH!
ARSENAL SUBS: Iliev, Medley, Monreal, Gilmour, Guendouzi, Mkhitaryan, John-Jules
QARABAG FK SUBS: Magomedaliev, Abdullayev, Agolli, Diniyev, Mammadov, Ozobic, Quintana
KICKOFF: Arsenal get proceedings back underway at the Emirates Stadium, where there is no news of any half-time changes. The Gunners were far too flat in the opening 45 minutes and need to step things up for the remainder of the contest.
Well there has already been an improvement in terms of Arsenal's intensity. Ainsley Maitland-Niles cuts inside from the left and gets a shot away, which ends high in the stands - his wait for a first Gunners goal goes on.
There are less than 22,000 spectators inside the Emirates Stadium this evening, and those that have decided to stay away have probably made the right choice. Still, there can be no complaints as Arsenal sailed through as group winners with this game to spare.
Ozil, who is clearly feeling fine after shaking off the first-half knock he sustained, will likely only get an hour tonight. Jenkinson goes on a rare run forward, seeing his cross blocked and likewise his subsequent shot from the rebound.
There is definitely a lot more to Arsenal in the opening 10 minutes of the second half in an attacking sense, with Saka getting in behind but seeing his cross cleared, but they have not done enough to warrant a second goal.
Guerrier drags down Nketiah just outside the box and Arsenal have a chance to send in the free kick from a promising position out wide. In a move that sums up the Gunners' evening, though, Sokratis skewed his header well wide.
We are fast approaching the hour mark in North London - are we about to see a change or two. Emery has a youthful bench, but the match has yet to be put out of Qarabag's reach. Wilde-Donald Guerrier gets his head to a corner but cannot keep it on target.
QARABAG SUB! Arsenal continuing to probe away without actually looking like scoring. Gurbanov is the first manager to blink by bringing off Michel and replacing him with Abdullayev, who many expected to start this concluding Group E tie.
CHANCE! This is near enough the first clear-cut opportunity since Lacazette's goal 26 minutes in. Zoubir gets the better of Sokratis down the right and cuts the ball back for Abdullayev, who miscued his shot when unmarked 10 yards from goal.
ARSENAL SUB! Goalscorer, and possible matchwinner, Lacazette is replaced by Zech Medley. This is Medley's first home appearance and second overall for the Gunners, filling in at left-back with Maitland-Niles moving forward.
CLOSE! This match has finally come to life at long last! Arsenal could have been pegged back a few minutes ago; well they have now missed a decent opportunity of their own as Saka's shot is deflected wide of the target. Good play from Maitland-Niles in the build-up.
STAT! No player has created more chances for Arsenal in a single Europa League game than Mesut Ozil has tonight - four in the opening hour of the match. The Gunners have 22 minutes to add to their tally.
SAVE! Saka is starting to look lively, but this shot from range lacked power and precision and was easily gathered by Vagner down the middle. The goalkeeper's attempted chipped clearance then went straight out of play - what a shocker!
Koscielny boasts a 100% pass-completion rate on his return to action - the only player among the starters to do so. The Frenchman looks certain to end this first appearance in seven months with a clean sheet, too.
ARSENAL SUB! Speaking of Koscielny, the French centre-back makes way for Nacho Monreal, who is also in need of some minutes. Emery may well be tempted to use Koscielny against Southampton on Sunday due to the absence of Sokratis, Mustafi and Holding.
QARABAG SUB! More subs than chances in the second half, unfortunately! Dani Quintana, who scored a hat-trick at the weekend, comes on for Madatov in attack. A final roll of the dice in many ways for Gurbanov.
GOAL RULED OUT! Nketiah has the ball in the back of the net for Arsenal, but the goal is ruled out - correctly - for offside. Great ball from Saka and a decent swooping header from Nketiah, but he was marginally off.
YELLOW CARD! Saka has been very bright over the last 25 minutes or so - undoubtedly Arsenal's best player, for me. His direct run draws a foul from Garayev, who becomes the first player to be shown a booking by Dutch referee Jens Maae.
ARSENAL SUB! Mesut Ozil, who took on captaincy duties for a few minutes after Koscielny left the field, himself makes way for Charlie Gilmour. It is a home debut for the Scotland Under-23s international, who has an eye for goal.
QARABAG SUB! With that sub, Gilmour becomes the 28th different player to represent Arsenal in this season's Europa League. A third alteration for Qarabag now, meanwhile - Ozobic is on for Rzezniczak in an attack-minded change.
SAVE! A brilliant save from Vagner, but I'm not sure how much he knew about it! Nketiah sends in a good cross from the right and Saka struck the ball right in the Qarabag keeper's face from point-blank range - he really should have been burying that.
Nketiah is looking a lot brighter in a central position, which was vacated by Ozil. The final half an hour of the match has been pretty entertaining compared to the opening hour, but neither side has managed to find a way through.
Four minutes have been added on at the Emirates Stadium. Qarabag have created just one chance this evening, which substitute Abdullayev failed to make the most of, yet they remain right in this game as we enter the closing stages.
There is a short stoppage in play as an intruder makes his way onto the field. The person in question looked to have a flag and Qarabag captain Sadiqov is furious - he has to be held back. Something political in that, perhaps?
FULL TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 QARABAG FK
Alexandre Lacazette's 16th-minute strike proves to be enough for Arsenal, who end their Group E campaign with five wins and a draw. It was a comfortable night for the Gunners, though they only had one or two chances to add to their scoring. It is quite telling that Lacazette and Bukayo Saka are the only home players to register a shot on target all evening.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text updates of events from the Emirates Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and be sure to join us again on Saturday as we resume our coverage of the Premier League and La Liga. See you then!
