Arsenal have discovered their four potential opponents in the Champions League last 16, following a flawless league phase. The Gunners maintained their perfect record with a 3-2 victory over Kazakhstani outfit Kairat, marking eight wins from eight matches.
Viktor Gyokeres wasted no time in opening the scoring, netting his tenth goal for Arsenal within two minutes. However, Kairat quickly responded by securing a penalty. Riccardo Calafiori conceded a crucial spot-kick to the visitors, which was confidently converted by Jorginho. Mikel Arteta's side soon regained the lead, with Kai Havertz transitioning from assist-maker to goal-scorer on his first start since August.
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Gabriel Martinelli extended his impressive European form by scoring Arsenal's third before half-time for his sixth of the tournament. Kairat managed to claw one back in the final moments of the match, shifting their attention to the last 16.
The conclusion of the league phase has determined Arsenal's potential opponents in the next round. The Gunners, along with second-placed Bayern Munich, will face either Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos in the round of 16, who finished 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th respectively.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich will discover their respective last-16 opponents next month, following the completion of the play-off ties involving four teams. The first legs are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11, with return fixtures taking place on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18.
Like Bayern, Arsenal had already secured a top-two finish before Wednesday's final league phase fixtures. Mikel Arteta demonstrated confidence in his squad's strong position, and a manageable draw by making wholesale changes to the team that suffered a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
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Kai Havertz marked his much-anticipated return to the starting XI after sustaining a serious knee injury on the campaign's opening day. "We have been missing him big time," Arteta told TNT Sports.
"He has been out for a long, long time. It is great to see him back and having a start in this context, I think it's really important."
The forward's impact was immediate, providing Viktor Gyokeres with a perfectly weighted pass for the opener. Havertz then demonstrated his quality, skillfully maneuvering inside the Kairat defence before unleashing a curved effort past goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov.
Havertz contributed to the third goal as well. His lateral pass nearly found Gyokeres, who got a slight touch before Gabriel Martinelli finished at the far post.