Saka leads Arsenal's charge to blast away doubts on the road in Europe

This was some response to charges of being shot shy. Arsenal's lack of cutting edge on foreign trips had been the pre-match talking point but it turned out they had saved up a hiding for the continent's form team.

- Nick Ames

Sporting had no answer to a masterful first-half display that was reflected accurately by strikes from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhães, all of whom exposed a grievously flaky backline. While the hosts were given hope by Gonçalo Inácio early in a more competitive second period they had too much to do. Arsenal went back through the gears when it mattered, Bukayo Saka's penalty and a Leandro Trossard header dealing their ambitions of swift passage to the knockout stage a significant boost.

If Saturday's straightforward win over Nottingham Forest had cleared a few heads around Arsenal, they arrived in Lisbon with another slate to wipe clean. Their away record in Europe has been substandard for almost two years. They had drawn blanks in their last four trips and, beginning with a 2-2 draw at this venue in March 2023, had won only one of their previous eight.

So here was their chance to produce a statement that might look particularly meaningful given Sporting had eviscerated Manchester City here three weeks previously. That night provided the most piquant of farewells for Ruben Amorim; now his successor, the former reserve-team coach Tiago Teixeira, was charged with maintaining such rattling momentum.