The Gunners Demolish Dutch Side Twente to Reach the Group Stages

Arsenal silenced all their critics after putting on a great show for their supports on Wednesday night. In front of 59,583 people they defeated Dutch side Twente by 4-0. This will surely give them the much needed confidence after their defeat against Fulham in the Premier League.

The atmosphere before the match was relaxed. It was as if the fans knew the Gunners would show their true colours against Twente. The return of Arsenal’s playmaker - Francesc Fabregas- played a significant part in those expectations.

FrancescFabregas returned from an injury on his hip and he did his job impeccably, as usual. With the confidence of the team dramatically raised, they created a ton of chances and were spectacular throughout the match.

However, Twente did not intend to go down without a fight which was displayed by a shot wide of the goal by Janssen. The Twente fans erupted.

Unfortunately for the guests, after 21 minutes, the game was on for the Gunners. Samir Nasri made a splendid run, passing by three defenders along the way and his shot, after being deflected, rolled the ball into the net behind goal-keeper Nikolay Mihailov. 1-0 to Arsenal.

From there on it was only Arsenal. They passed the ball well, showed spirit and determination and did not allow their opponents to play their game.

A few chances were missed by Denilson and van Persie. Theo Walcott was a constant threat to Twente’s defence. His speed proved to be very useful this game, creating numerous chances after cutting in from the right side.

Samir Nasri was replaced on half time by Emmanuel Eboue.

In the second half it was no different. Arsenal continued to pile on the pressure and the result, eventually followed. After a shot by Bendtner which was saved by Mihailov, the ball popped into the feet of William Gallas and he was unable to miss from such a distance. 2-0 Arsenal. Again, we saw the happy faces of the Arsenal players, signifying the unity of the team after the return of Fabregas.

In the 64th minute van Persie was substituted by Emmanuel Adebayor. Two minutes later, Walcott was released by Bedntnerand remaining one-on-one with the goal-keeper, produced a spectacular precision-shot to triple the lead of Arsenal.

Having his team three goals up, Arsene Wenger decided not to risk Francesc Fabregas and replaced him with Alexandre Song

From there on the tempo of the game decreased a bit. It looked like the Gunners were satisfied by their performance for the evening. Nicklas Bendtner, however, was not satisfied and answered with what could be the best reaction for the team. He scored in the last minute to finalise, in the best possible way, a terrific performance by Wenger’s boys.

Indeed, the young guns showed they are not to be underestimated by anyone and recovered from Saturday’s defeat with class. The critics of Arsenal watched silently.

The win secured their participation in the group stages of the Champions League where they will meet Porto, Fenerbahce, and FC Dinamo Kiev