In the spirit of togetherness,
Arsenal might agree Mesut Özil was half right. The exiled playmaker had warmed to his armchair fan status and offered an open show of the loyalty he feels has not been afforded him, in predicting his teammates would win 4-1. They never looked like running up a comparable score but did, eventually, have too much for a competent Rapid Vienna side that had been superior for the first hour.
The game turned, as one might have expected, when Mikel Arteta hauled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the bench. Any hope of holding on beyond the 61st minute to bring on the big guns was scotched when Taxiarchis Fountas gave Rapid the lead soon after half-time with a goal Bernd Leno will not want to see again. But Arsenal went through the gears and David Luiz’s equaliser was quickly followed by a smart combination between the two substitutes, Héctor Bellerín centring for Aubameyang to tap in his first goal since the opening weekend.