Arsenal beat Monaco and reach third place in the Champions League
The English move up the standings and remain firmly in the fight for a direct spot in the round of 16. Gabriel Jesus starts and provides assists
Summary
Arsenal secured an important victory in the fight for a direct place in the round of 16 of the Champions League. The English team beat Monaco 3-0 on Wednesday in London and moved up to third place in the league phase. Saka shone by scoring two goals, one of them with an assist from Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, and Havertz completed the scoring.
STEADY IN THE G-8
The victory sees Arsenal move up to third place in the Champions League, with 13 points, and remain firmly in the running for a direct spot in the round of 16. However, the competition is promising in the final two rounds: Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Brest and Lille also have 13 points, completing the G-8. Monaco drops to 16th place, with 10. The top eight teams in the league phase advance directly to the round of 16. The teams that finish between ninth and 24th place will play an additional playoff round. Those who finish between 25th and 36th are eliminated directly.
SAKA’S BRIGHTNESS
A big name for Arsenal in recent years, Saka once again had a decisive performance for the London team. The Englishman scored the first two goals of the duel, which saw Mikel Arteta’s team in control for most of the match. In the 34th minute of the first half, he took advantage of a cross from Gabriel Jesus and finished for the goal, after Arsenal wasted good chances. In the second half, he appeared again in the 33rd minute, with an eye for goal after Monaco failed to clear the ball. He also provided the assist for Havertz’s goal two minutes from the end. He has now scored nine goals and 12 assists in 21 games in the 2024/25 season.
JESUS’ ASSISTANCE
Gabriel Jesus was given another chance to start for Arsenal after four games and shone with the assist for Saka’s first goal of the game, when the team had been failing to make any attempts. The Brazilian had been on the bench for the last four matches, and was not even used in two of them. It was the seventh time he had started in 2024/25, the third in the Champions League. He remained on the pitch until the 28th minute of the second half, making way for Havertz.
