Arsenal relocate shooting boots and near last eight

Arsenal do as much as they can, which means it is close to impossible for anyone else to do enough to prevent their safe passage into the Champions League last eight.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

Uefa are hoping for what might be a satisfyingly wild night next Wednesday, but some of it does sound a little absurd.

If Arsenal fail to get a point in Girona, all of Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, AS Monaco, Lille, Brest and Feyenoord would have to win by massive margins to have any chance of forcing them into the play-offs.

In short, they’re there, as was always expected before this 3-0 victory over a dogged Dinamo Zagreb. The game really became about correcting a few ongoing issues in the team, and the only thing Mikel Arteta could really have had any quibble with was that they could have taken more chances given recent goalshyness. The manner of the goals – by Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and a first in months for Martin Odegaard – was nevertheless encouraging.