Arsenal 6 Ludogorets 0: Theo Walcott continued his scoring streak and Mesut Ozil bags hat-trick as Gunners thrash plucky Bulgarians at Emirates

THEO WALCOTT continued his hot-streak as Arsenal thrashed plucky Ludogorets at the Emirates.  

Alexis Sanchez had wonderfully chipped Arsenal into an early lead before Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mesut Ozil completed the rout.

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Sanchez was a threat from the off and opened the scoring with a majestic chip after an early period of pressure from the hosts.

The Bulgarian champions showed no signs of being disheartened by the early strike, pouring forward at every opportunity and Wanderson was desperately unlucky not to grab an equaliser.

But right on half time, Walcott produced a fantastic strike from outside the box to give Vladislav Stoyanov no chance.

And Ludogorets were guilty of sleepwalking out after the break, allowing Oxlade-Chamberlain to fire home unmarked just a minute into the half.

Ozil galloped clear of the defence to add a fourth as the Gunners threatened to run riot, with the German netting a late fifth and sixth from close range.

Facts, stats, goals and lols

• The Premier League is not the only competition in which fans have lost interest. Plenty of gaps in the Emirates stands, not for the first time.
• And England is far from alone in lacking locals in its top flight. Ludogorets’ cosmopolitan 11 included just four Bulgaria-qualified players, to Arsenal’s three Englishmen.
• Arsenal’s squad has decent depth – Arsene Wenger could make four changes to the side which had beaten Swansea without, in theory, significantly weakening it.
• Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took his chance, bringing pace and guile down the left, playing Alexis Sanchez through for the first and scoring the third.
• David Ospina also showed why some wouldn’t mind him replacing Petr Cech, with four important interventions in the first half.
• Yep – Arsenal’s defending was poor at times, mistakes and complacency allowing a skilful Ludogorets side to find too much room behind the back four.
• Theo Walcott remains on fire.  Yeah, he squared the ball once when he should have shot, but his strike for Arsenal’s second was a peach.
• Unsung hero of the night was Francis Coquelin. No frills, no fuss, he looked ready to replace the suspended Granit Xhaka for domestic matches.
• It turned into such a rout that Arsene Wenger could even afford to bring on Lucas Perez for his first Champions League appearance for Arsenal.
• The Ox’s goal, early in the second half, killed the game. But Ludogorets will still be dangerous on their home turf – if their finishing improves.

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Dream Team ratings

Arsenal: Ospina 7, Bellerin 8, Mustafi 7, Koscielny 8, Gibbs 8, Coquelin 8, Cazorla 8, Walcott 8, Ozil 10, Oxlade-Chamberlain 10, Sanchez 9. Subs: Elneny 6, Perez 7, Iwobi  6.

What they said

Arsene Wenger: “Our confidence is stronger with every win but we have to keep the vigilance as well, and the urgency to bring that into the next game.

“Let’s not be too quick on the verdict. We have a strong squad and a strong spirit, but you have to take care of it and keep your feet on the ground. The only way to win something big is to focus on the next one and work on humility.”