Kiev, Nov 30 (IANS) English Premier League club Arsenal routed Vorskla Poltava 3-0 to remain undefeated in its 2018-2019 Europa League campaign and clinch the first place in Group E.
The London team, which had already secured a berth in the knockout stage of Europe's second-tier club competition and fielded several members of its UEFA reserve squad, opened the scoring at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium on Thursday with a goal by Emile Smith-Rowe in the 10th minute, reports Efe news.
That score was set up by a give-and-go involving Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey and a tenacious Eddie Nketiah. A Vorskla defender's attempt to clear the ball out of the area sent it straight to Smith-Rowe, who finished from close range.
Ramsey then doubled the Gunners' lead at the 27-minute mark when he converted a penalty attempt, while Joe Willock made it 3-0 four minutes before first-half stoppage time with a strike from just outside the penalty box past net minder Bohdan Shust.
Arsenal (13 points) is three points clear of second-placed Sporting Lisbon in Group E with one round-robin match remaining on Dec. 13, although the London club has already clinched the first place based on points in its two head-to-head matches against the Portuguese-league side.
With their latest win, the Gunners now are on an 18-game unbeaten streak across all competitions dating back to late August.
