Nobody expected this Arsenal player to finally unlock Viktor Gyökeres

Arsenal were simply imperious during the Champions League league phase, so can they carry that form into the knockouts? The Gunners won all eight matches, thereby topping the table, scoring 23 goals and conceding only four.

Half of the goals they allowed came on the final matchday, beating Kairat Almaty 3-2 in North London, a scoreline that was significantly closer than most would have anticipated. Mikel Arteta did make the full compliment of 11 changes, and all his team's goals came in the opening 35 minutes, with Viktor Gyökeres, the returning Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli on the scoresheet.

So now, they will face one of Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or familiar foes Olympiacos in the round of 16 when their continental adventure resumes in March. Back in the Premier League, having failed to win any of their last three matches, Arteta's team are under enormous pressure to beat a resurgent Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday. Ahead of this tricky trip to West Yorkshire, did they discover a potentially game-changing attacking combination against Kairat?

Viktor Gyökeres' performance vs Kariat

Returning to the starting lineup, Gyökeres took less than three minutes to break the deadlock in mid-week. The Sweden international burst in behind and then finished emphatically, firing past Temirlan Anarbekov, something we've seen very infrequently since his arrival.

After Jorginho (not that one) had cooly converted from the penalty spot soon after, Havertz lashed the Gunners back in front very quickly, and his return was the night's primary positive.

The German was withdrawn at halftime, having seen just 59 minutes of action this season before Wednesday night, but sparkled during this cameo. In fact, following hamstring surgery in February and then knee surgery in August, this was his first start for 360 days. Despite this, Havertz looked extremely sharp.

Kai Havertz's statistics vs Kairat

Despite only being on the pitch for half the match, Havertz recorded a goal and an assists, created three big chances and registered four key passes, second only for Eberechi Eze in terms of the latter.

Interestingly, the 26-year-old was deployed in midfield, so does this give us an indication of how Arteta views him, or was this just out of necessity? With Declan Rice and Mikel Merino both suspended, he was very short of players for that position.

However, Havertz also came on at Stamford Bridge in the EFL Cup in midfield, replacing Rice, introduced alongside Gabriel Jesus, so he could've gone up front. Also, upon his arrival from Chelsea, Arteta said the following:

"Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield."

Mikel Arteta

Following early struggles, the Havertz in midfield experiment was abruptly abandoned, not least because he ended that campaign by scoring nine times in 14 Premier League games once pushed further forward. However, could it be back on the table? With neither Martin Ødegaard nor Eze starring in the creative midfield role, Havertz showed signs of being able to do just that against Kairat.

The German struck up a nice rapport with Gyökeres, assisting the opening goal, playing the ball through the heart of the opposition defence, something Gooners very rarely see. Thus, in a dead-rubber, low-profile, low-stakes fixture, perhaps Arteta has unearthed a combination that could get the best out of his attack.