Champions League Gameweek 8
Arsenal
Jan 28, 2026 8.00pm
3
2
HT : 3 0
FT Emirates Stadium
Kairat
  • Viktor Gyokeres 2' goal
  • Kai Havertz 15' goal
  • Gabriel Martinelli 36' goal
  • Martin Odegaard 46' yellowcard
  • Piero Hincapie 46' yellowcard
  • Gabriel Jesus 77' yellowcard
  • Brando Nyle Bailey-Joseph 77' yellowcard
  • Ifeoluwa David Ibrahim 89' yellowcard
  • yellowcard Jorginho 7'
  • yellowcard Valeriy Gromyko 59'
  • yellowcard Ricardinho Viana 59'
  • yellowcard Damir Kassabulat 70'
  • yellowcard Lev Kurgin 70'
  • yellowcard Ramazan Bagdat 79'
  • goal Ricardinho Viana 90'+4'

Arsenal 3-2 Kairat: Highlights, man of the match, stats as killer Kai Havertz steals Champions League show

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Kai takes down Kairat as gr-eight Arsenal go perfect in league phase
© Imago / Sportimage

Arsenal concluded a perfect Champions League league-phase campaign with a somewhat forgettable 3-2 victory over basement boys Kairat at the Emirates Stadium.

Gunners fans may have anticipated two goals inside the opening 10 minutes, but they would not have foreseen one going to Kairat, who fell behind to a second-minute Viktor Gyokeres strike before swiftly levelling via a Jorginho penalty.

However, Mikel Arteta's men soon flexed their attacking muscles, as the returning Kai Havertz and UCL specialist Gabriel Martinelli - scoring for the fourth successive home game in Europe - gave the hosts a 3-1 lead heading into half time.

Arsenal's perpetual finishing issues came to the fore in the second half, though, and Kairat substitute Ricardinho pulled another goal back just before the full-time whistle blew to spark pandemonium in the away end again.

In the wider context, that was just another consolation for a Kairat side who finish bottom of the league phase, while table-toppers Arsenal have become the first side to win all eight games in the current format.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

© Imago / Sportimage

Only the disaster of all disasters would have denied Arsenal top spot tonight, and for the next few weeks at the very least, the Gunners can proudly claim to be the best team in Europe.

While paying respect to their 36th-placed opponents - whose ardent fans deserved to see their side score after the 8,500-mile round trip - Wednesday's game was always going to be one of experimentation and rotation for Arteta, who saw one of his favourite sons steal the show.

A staunch and vocal supporter of Havertz during the bad and the good times, Arteta witnessed the German claim a goal and assist on his first competitive start for almost a year, and his 45-minute cameo could hardly have gone any better.

Familiar issues did arise for Arsenal in the second half without Havertz, though, as the hosts always seemed to play one pass too many, struggle to exhibit their set-piece prowess, hesitate to pull the trigger or somehow else lack that killer instinct.

Such shortcomings did not matter for those 45 minutes, but they have already proven fatal in the Premier League, and some fans may understandably focus on the negatives after a scoreline that was far closer than it should have been.

ARSENAL VS. KAIRAT HIGHLIGHTS

Viktor Gyokeres goal vs. Kairat (2nd min, Arsenal 1-0 Kairat)

That did not take long!

Arsenal do what they rarely do in the Premier League - penetrate centrally - and Havertz threads a slick through ball to Gyokeres.

The Swede takes a bit of an awkward first touch but displays terrific pace and power to fire his 10th goal of the season into the bottom corner.

Jorginho goal vs. Arsenal (7th min, Arsenal 1-1 Kairat)

Whatever else happens tonight, Kairat and their fans will remember this moment forever!

Jorginho - no relation to the ex-Arsenal man - spins in behind Riccardo Calafiori inside the box and has his shirt pulled by the Italian for his troubles.

The referee awards a penalty following a check of the monitor, and Jorginho calmly sends Kepa Arrizabalaga the wrong way to bring the Kazakhstani champions on level terms!

Kai Havertz goal vs. Kairat (16th min, Arsenal 2-1 Kairat)

King Kai is back!

Gyokeres and Havertz both chase Ben White's defence-splitting pass, and the latter gets it under control while the Scandinavian shrugs off a Kairat defender.

Gyokeres's action - which is deemed legal - creates enough space for Havertz to drift infield and clinically restore Arsenal's lead with his left foot.

Gabriel Martinelli goal vs. Kairat (36th min, Arsenal 3-1 Kairat)

Has Martinelli stolen Gyokeres's goal or saved the Swede's bacon? Either way, Arsenal have their third!

Havertz opts to square for either attacker rather than shoot himself, and Gyokeres cannot quite finish on the slide, but Martinelli crashes in at the back stick.

The offside flag goes up straight away, but following a minute-long VAR review, the goal is given.

90+4 min: Arsenal 3-2 Kairat (Ricardinho)

Who had Kairat to lose by just one goal tonight? Not me!

Piero Hincapie is caught unawares at the back post, and Ricardinho heads home from close range for another magical moment!

MAN OF THE MATCH - KAI HAVERTZ

Some may say it is 'only Kairat', but for a first start in a staggering 357 days, it was as if Havertz had never been out of this Arsenal team.

The German has not always shone in a deeper midfield role for the Gunners, but he combined brilliantly with Gyokeres and others to register a goal and assist, and he ought to prove an invaluable asset between now and May.

ARSENAL VS. KAIRAT MATCH STATS

Possession: Arsenal 66%-34% Kairat

Shots: Arsenal 25-4 Kairat

Shots on target: Arsenal 11-2 Kairat

Corners: Arsenal 11-0 Kairat

Fouls: Arsenal 14-10 Kairat

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Once the knockout round playoffs are completed, Arsenal will learn their last-16 opponents (Atalanta BC, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos) when the draw is made on February 27; in the meantime, Arteta's men seek some Premier League parity away to Leeds United this Saturday.

As for a Kairat side who will take plenty of lessons from their debut UCL campaign, February is a competition-free month before they begin the defence of their Kazakhstani Premier League title in March.

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