Arsenal cruised to a commanding 3-0 victory against Club Brugge on Wednesday night, keeping their flawless Champions League campaign intact.
Noni Madueke was the star of the show at the Emirates, bagging two goals to help the Gunners all but guarantee their spot in the knockout rounds.
Gabriel Martinelli added a third to seal what turned into a comfortable evening for Mikel Arteta's side.
The win takes Arsenal to 18 points in the competition, which is actually two more than what was needed for a top-eight finish last season.
Noni Madueke scored a stunner from distance to net his first Champions League goal for Arsenal
|REUTERS
It's brilliant news for the north London club, who now look set to skip the February play-offs entirely.
Madueke's opener was an absolute beauty, with the England winger brushing off a defender before unleashing a powerful effort from 20 yards that crashed in off the crossbar.
The Belgian side did cause some problems for Arsenal's reshuffled defence before half-time, but David Raya came to the rescue with sharp stops from Christos Tzolis and Aleksandar Stankovic.
Just two minutes after the restart, Madueke doubled his tally by nodding home a superb delivery from Martin Zubimendi.
Gabriel Martinelli netted a beautiful strike of his own after cutting in off the left-hand side
|REUTERS
Martinelli then put the game to bed in the 56th minute, bending a gorgeous strike into the net to make it three.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Madueke was clearly delighted with his evening's work.
"The first goal was really nice, second a tap in but the first one was sweet. Delighted with the result," he said.
The forward made it clear he's hungry for more, adding: "I think the bare minimum I need to give to my team is threat.
"Obviously trying to score and be as decisive as possible, that's the next level I need to get to in terms of being consistently decisive for club and country. I think I can reach that level."
On Arsenal's title ambitions, Madueke was bold: "We're fighting on all fronts. I feel like we can win this competition and win the league, that has to be the aim."
Beyond the goals, there were some truly heartwarming moments for Arsenal fans.
Noni Madueke, take a bow!
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 10, 2025
Arsenal take the lead thanks to one of the goals of the season so far from Madueke 🚀@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/LrjLdflgc6
Gabriel Jesus made his long-awaited return to action after being sidelined for 342 days with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Brazilian striker almost capped his comeback perfectly, rattling the crossbar with a late effort from the edge of the box.
There was also a special moment for 16-year-old Marli Salmon, who was brought on to make his first-team debut.
Arteta had made five changes from the weekend defeat to Aston Villa, and his squad rotation paid off handsomely on a night full of positives at the Emirates.