The injury-ravaged Gunners brushed aside a pitiful Galatasaray as the pace and thrust of Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain proved too hot to handle
After the trauma of Borussia Dortmund a fortnight before, Wednesday proved to be a cathartic evening for Arsenal and an unforgettable one for Danny Welbeck as they strolled to an easy win over Galatasaray.
Gunners supporters would have feared the worst when Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta joined the lengthy wounded list and Jack Wilshere was saved for weekend combat against Chelsea.
A team-sheet that featured the diddy duo of Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla in central midfield would have been an open invitation for Europe's slicker outfits.
But the party started in the stands from the moment that Welbeck gave notice of his superiority over the abject Galatasaray defence with a searing early run that left Wesley Sneijder and Felipe Melo trailing helplessly in his wake.
That did not result in a goal, but it didn't take long for the €20 million signing to open the scoring and he was so dominant that he had put his new team 2-0 by the half-hour mark through a combination of pace, power and clinical marksmanship.
By the time Welbeck clinched his first professional hat-trick with a delightfully dinked third in the second half, his name was ringing out around north London and talk of him being a wasteful finisher suddenly appeared fanciful.`
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It felt like the night that the 23-year-old arrived as an Arsenal striker. His deadline-day signing was met with a lukewarm response from many fans, who regarded him as a Manchester United reject who just happened to be available at a reasonable price at a time of pressing need.
Perceptions change quickly in football and anyone who witnessed Welbeck destroy Galatasaray will think that Arsene Wenger has the snip of the season. "He arrives in the box with such pace that he has time to finish," observed the Frenchman afterwards.
He is not the only one. The Arsenal front line that was so one-dimensional last season after Theo Walcott tore his anterior cruciate ligament is now bursting with pace and mobility.
Cutting inside from the left flank, Alexis Sanchez scored one, created another and buzzed with pace and energy. On the right side, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain provided equal thrust and imagination.
With Mesut Ozil languidly finding time and space before picking off the Galatasaray defence with short, clever passes, Wenger appeared to have happened upon a front four who can give any opposition a run for its money.
As the Frenchman noted, Arsenal were indeed "great" but Galatasaray were beyond ordinary. Why Cesare Prandelli waited until half-time before binning his disastrous experiment with three centre-backs, only he knows.
The problem is when Arsenal do not have the ball and when they play against teams who are able to target their soft underbelly.
At a rough guess, Flamini would probably be Wenger's fifth choice for the pivotal role of guarding the defence, behind Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta and Abou Diaby, while Cazorla would likely to be edged into seventh by the impressively versatile Calum Chambers.
Wilshere will be back to lead the charge against Chelsea on Sunday but, even if Wenger had the rare luxury of selecting from a full squad, it is still questionable whether or not he has a central midfield that, against top-class opposition, is fit for purpose.
The Arsenal attack papered over the midfield cracks as they secured their first points of a 17th consecutive Champions League campaign but the true test of the team's calibre will come against Jose Mourinho's table-toppers on Sunday.
After the trauma of Borussia Dortmund a fortnight before, Wednesday proved to be a cathartic evening for Arsenal and an unforgettable one for Danny Welbeck as they strolled to an easy win over Galatasaray.
Gunners supporters would have feared the worst when Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta joined the lengthy wounded list and Jack Wilshere was saved for weekend combat against Chelsea.
A team-sheet that featured the diddy duo of Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla in central midfield would have been an open invitation for Europe's slicker outfits.
But the party started in the stands from the moment that Welbeck gave notice of his superiority over the abject Galatasaray defence with a searing early run that left Wesley Sneijder and Felipe Melo trailing helplessly in his wake.
That did not result in a goal, but it didn't take long for the €20 million signing to open the scoring and he was so dominant that he had put his new team 2-0 by the half-hour mark through a combination of pace, power and clinical marksmanship.
By the time Welbeck clinched his first professional hat-trick with a delightfully dinked third in the second half, his name was ringing out around north London and talk of him being a wasteful finisher suddenly appeared fanciful.`
Heatmap
Data is not available yet!
It felt like the night that the 23-year-old arrived as an Arsenal striker. His deadline-day signing was met with a lukewarm response from many fans, who regarded him as a Manchester United reject who just happened to be available at a reasonable price at a time of pressing need.
Perceptions change quickly in football and anyone who witnessed Welbeck destroy Galatasaray will think that Arsene Wenger has the snip of the season. "He arrives in the box with such pace that he has time to finish," observed the Frenchman afterwards.
He is not the only one. The Arsenal front line that was so one-dimensional last season after Theo Walcott tore his anterior cruciate ligament is now bursting with pace and mobility.
Cutting inside from the left flank, Alexis Sanchez scored one, created another and buzzed with pace and energy. On the right side, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain provided equal thrust and imagination.
With Mesut Ozil languidly finding time and space before picking off the Galatasaray defence with short, clever passes, Wenger appeared to have happened upon a front four who can give any opposition a run for its money.
As the Frenchman noted, Arsenal were indeed "great" but Galatasaray were beyond ordinary. Why Cesare Prandelli waited until half-time before binning his disastrous experiment with three centre-backs, only he knows.
The problem is when Arsenal do not have the ball and when they play against teams who are able to target their soft underbelly.
At a rough guess, Flamini would probably be Wenger's fifth choice for the pivotal role of guarding the defence, behind Ramsey, Wilshere, Arteta and Abou Diaby, while Cazorla would likely to be edged into seventh by the impressively versatile Calum Chambers.
Wilshere will be back to lead the charge against Chelsea on Sunday but, even if Wenger had the rare luxury of selecting from a full squad, it is still questionable whether or not he has a central midfield that, against top-class opposition, is fit for purpose.
The Arsenal attack papered over the midfield cracks as they secured their first points of a 17th consecutive Champions League campaign but the true test of the team's calibre will come against Jose Mourinho's table-toppers on Sunday.
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