No miracle for the Monegasques. Despite the 1,600 supporters who made the trip, Adi Hütter’s men were no match for Arsenal (3-0), who were very focused on consolidating their place in the top 8 of the Ligue 1. champions. Largely dominated, the Rocher players gave in three times, for a double from Bukayo Saka and a goal from Kai Havertz.
If the score seems heavy, it perfectly reflects the domination which was clearly London. Gabriel Jesus notably created several big chances at the start of the match, but failed on an interesting Radosław Majecki. Gunners star Bukayo Saka finally opened the scoring in the 34th minute, finishing off a lot of teamwork and a superb cross from Gabriel Jesus.
Very fit, the English winger was, at that time, scoring his third goal in five Champions League matches. And the fourth followed in the second half. While Leandro Trossard had just spoiled another ideally launched counter-attack, the Three Lions player took advantage of a bad pass from Salisu towards his goalkeeper to double the Londoners’ lead. Mass was said. Kai Havertz completed the scoring in the 88th minute by recovering a missed shot from Saka.
On the Monegasque side, the performance is disappointing. Only Maghnes Akliouche managed to stand out, taking initiatives which did not pay off. For the rest, the defense, once solid, ended up taking on water. Despite this defeat, the Monegasques remain in a good position to qualify for the play-offs. With 10 points, they are in 16th place. The next match, at home against Aston Villa (January 21), will undoubtedly be decisive.
