Arsenal Defeat CSKA Moscow 4-1 in 2018 Europa League; 2 Players Score Brace

Arsenal cruised to a 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.  

Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette both scored twice in an action-packed first half, while Aleksandr Golovin secured an away goal with a fine free kick.

The result gives Arsenal a healthy lead to take to Russia for the return leg on Thursday, and they will be confident of booking their place in the semi-finals.

Is Ramsey Arsenal's player of the season?

Ramsey needed just nine minutes to open the scoring as he slotted Hector Bellerin's cross home with a confident finish. After the two sides traded goals, he produced the best moment of the match, acrobatically flicking the ball home for Arsenal's third, as shown by BT Sport:

His goals put Arsenal firmly in charge of the game and showed once again how instrumental he is to the team. James Benge at the Evening Standard said he deserves to pip Nacho Monreal for Arsenal's player of the season:

Ramsey's performances may also hasten contract extension talks with Arsenal. The Welshman's current deal expires in summer 2019, but the club would be well-advised to secure his long-term future quickly.

Lacazette loves the Europa League

There was doubt as to whether Lacazette would actually start the game, as he was only just back from knee surgery, but Arsene Wenger threw him in and was rewarded with two goals. The first was from the penalty spot, and the second was a composed finish from inside the box.

Opta showed how Lacazette enjoys the Europa League:

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ineligible for Arsenal's Europa League campaign, a fit and firing Lacazette will be key to Arsenal's hopes of going all the way in the competition.

Back in the Premier League, Wenger also needs to find a way to play the two strikers together, per Mattias Karen at ESPN FC:

Lacazette had been looking a little lost before his spell out with injury, but three goals in his two games back will give him big boost for the run-in.

Mhkitaryan injury a worry for Arsenal

Henrikh Mkhitaryan limped off slowly on the hour mark after appearing to pick up a knee injury, with Alex Iwobi coming on in his place.

It's a blow for the Gunners, as the Armenian has looked at home in the Europa League, and he was involved in some slick passing moves with Mesut Ozil and Ramsey against CSKA.

Sports journalist Mark Mann-Bryans said it's a worry for Arsenal:

It remains to be seen how long Mkhitaryan will be out.

Ozil is too good for the Europa League

While Ramsey and Lacazette may steal most of the headlines with their goals, Ozil deserves most of the plaudits for running the show for Arsenal. Indy Football showed just how many chances he created:

The German was at the heart of all of Arsenal's best moves, as he helped carve CSKA Moscow open seemingly at will. 

Simon Collings at Hayters said he is too good for the Europa League:

Arsenal will be hoping that that is indeed the case and Ozil can inspire them to Europa League glory. The comfortable win means they are well-placed to progress to the semi-finals, and UEFA Champions League qualification is still very much a possibility.

How on earth did it only finish 4-1?

There's no doubting that the Emirates crowd were treated to a thrilling game, with the two sides producing five goals in the first half alone.

Colling noted the game was wide open with both attacks on top and neither team particularly impressive defensively:

CSKA were guilty of wasting several good opportunities, and a second away goal may have given them real hope. They did manage to get the ball in the back of the net through Alan Dzagoev, but it was correctly ruled out for offside.

Yet Arsenal also had plenty of chances to extend their lead. Lacazette, Ozil, Iwobi and Danny Welbeck all went close, while Ramsey was denied a hat-trick by the woodwork as somehow the ball stayed out in the second half.

What's next?

Arsenal return to Premier League action on Sunday with struggling Southampton visiting the Emirates Stadium. On this form, the Gunners will be confident of victory against a team without a Premier League win since the start of February.

CSKA Moscow will return to Russia and welcome Dynamo Moscow to the VEB Arena on Monday, before they face Arsenal again in the return leg on Thursday.