GUNNERS LOOK IN GOOD NIC..

NICOLAS PEPE and Joe Willock were on target in a topsy-turvy Europa League win for Arsenal at the Emirates.

Arsenal started slowly and were sloppy, before coming from behind to win quite comfortably with the help of two own-goals. Victory puts them easily on course for the knockout stages.

What must frustrate manager Mikel Arteta is that his mix-and-match line-up of first-teamers, fringe players and youngsters took so long to spark into life.

Pepe probably best sums it up, as he struggled to put one foot in front of the other at first, but ended up getting another goal.

That might not be enough to satisfy a perfectionist like Arteta, who got frustrated with the mistakes in the first half, but eventually enjoyed seeing the Gunners come through another test.

Molde took a surprise lead after 22 minutes when questions will be asked about Bernd Leno, as the debate still rumbles on among

Arsenal fans about whether they sold the wrong keeper when they let Emiliano Martinez go.

For all the talk about the dangers of playing out from the back, it was a long clearance from Leno which got Arsenal into trouble as Stian Gregersen won the ball, Molde captain Magnus Wolff Eikrem played it onto Martin Ellingsen.

From 25 yards out, Ellingsen curled a dipping shot which flew past Leno, and again the Arsenal keeper will face doubts over whether he should be beaten from that distance.

The hosts should have levelled after 43 minutes when Eddie Nketiah tapped home Pepe’s cross but Willock was flagged offside.

But the Gunners got lucky in firsthalf injury time when Arsenal launched a lightning-quick counter-attack. Willian and Granit Xhaka combined well, Nketiah put in a low cross, and Kristoffer Haugen put through his own net.

Sead Kolasinac was guilty of the worst miss of the season, firing over with his wrong foot – his right – from point-blank range, but they did not have to wait much longer to go ahead. Willian’s 63rd-minute cross was turned into his own net by Sheriff Sinyan for a second own goal of the night. Arsenal made it three in the 69th minute as Pepe’s crossshot flashed into the far corner from sub Bukayo Saka’s assist. And Arsenal got a fourth in the dying minutes when Pepe’s pass put in Willock (above) who fired home into the top corner.

ON TARGET Pepe celebrates his goal with Ceballos