“Genuinely entertaining”, “It’s coming home” – These Arsenal fans on cloud nine after bright win under Emery + Match Report

Match Report: Boreham Wood 0-8 Arsenal

Arsenal’s new era under manager Unai Emery couldn’t have gotten off to a better start as the Gunners ran to a thumping 8-0 win over Boreham Wood at the Meadow Park earlier in the day.  

The former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain manager named a fairly strong starting line-up featuring a number of first-team regulars, along with exciting young talents. There was also a place for summer signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos in the line-up. 

The Gunners looked in the zone from the get-go, as strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang combined to cause an early scare for Boreham in the sixth minute.  

Only a minute later though, the latter opened the scoring with a curling finish from the edge of the box, before doubling his tally on the day soon after, in the 10th minute, nodding home an Ainsley Maitland-Niles cross from the right-hand side.  

The Gabon international went on to complete a hat-trick six minutes later, slotting home from the penalty spot, after Reiss Nelson was fouled inside the box. The Emery era took off to a flying start.

Close to the half-hour mark though, the hosts had their first big chance, after Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech failed to gather a ball but the resulting shot was blocked off.  

Arsenal, unflustered by the scare, continued in their belligerent ways, as Lacazette found Nelson inside the box for the talented youngster to make it four with a sensational volleyed effort that went in off the crossbar in the 36th minute. Five minutes later, it was 5-0 as Lacazette finished neatly after being fed in by the brilliant Aubameyang.

Emery changed the entire XI post the half-time break, with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Eddie Nketian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan getting a run out. The new set of players showed no signs of letting up though, as just four minutes into the second period, Nketiah poked home from a brilliant cross from forgotten man, Lucas Perez.  

The Gunners continued to threaten against the sorry home team but the final pass seemed to let them down on a few occasions, as they pressed on in search of the seventh goal. Captain Ramsey had a goal disallowed after he was adjudged to have controlled the ball with his arm in the lead-up.

But the North Londoners didn’t have to wait much longer for the next goal, as Jeff Reine-Adelaide’s sweet strike from distance made it 7-0 with twenty minutes left on the clock.  

New boy Matteo Guendouzi got a run-out in for the final fifteen minutes of the game, as he replaced Reine-Adelaide, before Mkhitaryan heaped more misery on the home side with a neat finish to complete the rout for Arsenal.  

It was a brilliant display from Emery’s men, with a number of players performing exceptionally. And it all bodes really well for them as they gear up to take on UEFA Europa League champions Atletico Madrid in 12 days’ time in Singapore.  

Here’s how the Arsenal supporters reacted to their side’s incredible victory.