Gyokeres outshone by Arsenal teammate as Arteta gets telling proof of his level

ARSENAL 3-2 KAIRAT: Viktor Gyokeres scores but wastes numerous chances against the Gunners’ Kazakh opponents on a night which showed his limitations in brutal fashion

Arsenal made it eight straight Champions League wins after a tale of two strikers.

The Gunners finished top of the table with a 100 per cent record in the league phase. And they did it with ease against the Kazakh no-hopers with fit-again Kai Havertz purring on his first start in 357 days while Viktor Gyokeres probably found his level.

Havertz looked a class apart with his slick control, passing and a brilliant finish as his return could be a much needed and timely boost for Arsenal’s title chances. The difference between the quality of Havertz and the lumbering, misfiring Gyokeres was stark as even against second rate opposition the Sweden striker missed a hatful of chances.

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It might sound disingenuous because Gyokeres scored and provided an assist although that only came about because he scuffed a shot from three yards into Gabriel Martinelli’s path. But Gyokeres, Arsenal’s £64m summer signing, is just not good enough for a team with aspirations to win the title and the Champions League.

Gyokeres even missed one sitter from three yards and the ball ended up going out from a throw-in. Incredibly, he has reached ten goals but, even in the space of just 45 minutes, Havertz showed Arsenal fans what they have been missing.

Havertz was hooked at half time and Arsenal fans must be hoping that is an indication he is being saved for Saturday’s trip to Leeds which now feels like such a huge game in their season.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta remarkably changed his entire starting line-up from Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United which underlines their strength in depth and just how bad Kairat are.

Arsenal made light work of them. Havertz played a lovely through ball to Gyokeres who, in fairness, just about controlled it before rifling home from 20 yards inside two minutes.

But Kairat levelled after seven minutes. Fit-again Riccardo Calafiori pulled back Kairat’s Portuguese striker Jorginho. Swiss referee Urs Schnyder gave a penalty after a VAR check and Jorginho duly converted.

Havertz, who has been plagued by a hamstring and a knee injury, then got his goal. He cut inside the box, showed nice control and then curled a sweet left foot shot into the far corner.

Gyokeres missed two gilt-edged chances before he got on the end of Havertz’s low cross but it still took Martinelli to force the ball over the line after 36 minutes. The rest of the game was a precession with a senior debut as a substitute for 17-year-old Brando Bailey-Joseph.

Arsenal wasted a host of more chances and then Kairat substitute Ricardinho got an injury time consolation.

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