Ruthless Gunners sink Irish minnows

MIKEL ARTETA’S Arsenal defeated Irish minnows Dundalk without drama, saving themselves for a sterner test at Old Trafford on Sunday. There was no need to call on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette as an SOS from the bench because, once Arsenal got one goal, the floodgates opened. There was a special strike by Nicolas Pepe, while Arteta even experimented to the extent that midfielders Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny were his centre-back pairing for a time in the second half. His only complaint? It took the Gunners until the 42nd minute to score. But Dundalk can be proud of their first-half efforts. They defended well with two banks of four, and only conceded after an error by keeper Gary Rogers. The Irish side did not think their manager would be allowed in the dugout for this match. Filippo Giovagnoli — the 49-year-old Italian head coach who, as of two months ago, had never managed a club — was supposed to sit in the stands because of his lack of a UEFA Pro Licence. Yet it all unravelled for the visitors before the break. The Dundalk goalkeeper had previously fumbled a header from Sead Kolasinac and when he miscued a punch from a corner, Eddie Nketiah pounced. Two minutes later it was 2-0. Pepe’s shot deflected into the path of Joe Willock who cooly placed his shot beyond Rogers. Just 31 seconds into the second half, Pepe completed the scoring with a wonderful shot into the top corner. Arteta was pleased with his side’s showing. ‘We took the game seriously and played well,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘Even though we made changes, we still looked strong and well disciplined.’