Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal: Player ratings as wonder strikes fire Gunners to victory

Arsenal secured a dominant 3-0 victory at Club Brugge as two wonder strikes helped them make it six wins from six in the Champions League.

Even more injuries forced Mikel Arteta to make changes to his side with Christian Nørgaard the notable addition, coming in to start at centre back. Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres and Myles Lewis-Skelly were also named in the lineup.

The Gunners dominated the opening stages with the hosts managing to cause the odd problem, but it was Arteta's side who broke the deadlock, and it came in outstanding fashion. Madueke did brilliantly to get away from a challenge on the halfway line before driving at goal, skipping past another defender. He unleashed a thunderbolt strike on the edge of the box, which hit the crossbar before ending up in the back of the net.

Brugge looked to hit back immediately and forced David Raya to make a number of saves to keep his side's lead intact. Madueke almost grabbed himself a second when he cut inside and shot right at the end of the half, but a good save meant Arsenal went into the break with lead.

It was a perfect start to the second half for Arteta's side as they doubled their advantage just minutes after the restart. Martín Zubimendi sent a brilliant ball to the back post for an unmarked Madueke to race onto and head in from practically on the goal line.

The game was threatening to become the Madueke show, but Gabriel Martinelli had his say near the hour mark when he added a third for his side in stunning fashion. He broke away from a challenge on the left flank before cutting inside and curling a sublime effort into the far corner.

With his side fully dominating the game, Arteta took the opportunity to introduce players from the bench, bringing Gabriel Jesus on for his first appearance since suffering a devastating ACL injury in January. It was nearly a perfect return for the Brazilian as he struck the crossbar to be denied a goal on his return.

There was a special moment late on as youngster Marli Salmon was brought on to replace Ben White and make his competitive senior debut for Arsenal at just 16-years-old. He helped his side see out the victory and keep a clean sheet.

The win in Belgium saw the Gunners return to the top of the league phase table having continued their winning start to the campaign with their sixth triumph from six games.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their dominant victory at Club Brugge.

Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 7/10 - Made a number of good saves to prevent Brugge equalising. Continued to be troubled on occasion, but dealt with that well to keep a clean sheet.

Ben White (RB) - 7.5/10 - Did well to keep the Brugge threat to a minimum on his side and often made his usual runs on the overlap. Picked up a booking in the second half before being withdrawn.

Christian Nørgaard (CB) - 7/10 - Guilty of backing off which allowed the hosts a strike at goal. Tightened up after the break and put in a relatively solid performance out of position. Shown a yellow card after the break.

Piero Hincapié (CB) - 7.5/10 - Hit the post with a quick reaction effort in the first half. Then denied again after heading toward goal from a corner. Taken off shortly after his side's third goal.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (LB) - 7/10 - Most of Brugge's attacking moments came down his flank, but he helped his side deal with them well. Grabbed an assist when he set Martinelli up.

Midfielders

Martin Ødegaard (CM) - 6.5/10 - Played some nice passes for his teammates, but wasn't overly involved and was subbed off after 70 minutes. Good for him to get more minutes in the tank.

Martín Zubimendi (CM) - 7/10 - Looked slightly off it in the first half, giving the ball away a number of times. Improved straight after the break as he played a brilliant cross in for Madueke to head in at the back post, adding to his one before half-time.

Mikel Merino (CM) - 6.5/10 - Linked up with his teammates well, but didn't have the same impact as he has in recent games. Played more of a midfield role than as a false nine.

Forwards

Noni Madueke (RW) - 8.5/10 - Opened the scoring with an outstanding run from the halfway line and a great finish from range. Grabbed a second immediately after the break, heading in from practically the goal line. Replaced with 20 minutes to play.

Viktor Gyökeres (ST) - 5.5/10 - Had a header easily saved in the first half and that was his only real involvement before being withdrawn after the break. Another quiet night for the Swede.

Gabriel Martinelli (LW) - 7.5/10 - Added a third for his side with a sensational curled strike after some neat footwork to cut inside.

Substitutes

• Gabriel Jesus (on 63' for Gyökeres) - 6.5/10
• Riccardo Calafiori (on 63' for Hincapié) - 6.5/10
• Bukayo Saka (on 71' for Madueke) - 6.5/10
• Ethan Nwaneri (on 71' for Ødegaard) - 7/10
• Marli Salmon (on 83' for White) - N/A

Player of the match: Noni Madueke