After his late winner against Brentford on Saturday, Kai Havertz delivered an excellent performance for Arsenal against Lens last night.
Havertz returned to his familiar role on the left side of Arsenal’s midfield three and scored the opener in the 6-0 rout.
And perhaps more important than another goal, Havertz had an air of confidence and swagger about his performance against Lens, something rarely seen in an Arsenal shirt thus far.
And following the game, Havertz took to Instagram to celebrate the consequent Champions League knockout stage qualification.
Havertz uploaded a three-photo post with the caption: “Into the UCL knockouts!! Great week, let’s keep it rolling.”
To which, both Ian Wright and Declan Rice replied with their support.
Wright simply replied with a love heart emoji and Declan Rice replied with ‘29’, Havertz’s squad number.
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Both Havertz and Arsenal do now look to have a lot of momentum heading into a busy festive period.
There has been the feeling that Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t quite clicked yet – but that could now be changing.
Kai Havertz looked confident and assured as Arsenal breezed past Lens
The left side of Arsenal’s midfield three has been a bit of an issue of late, a role without a concerted claim.
Granit Xhaka’s departure is often discussed as a mistake, even if the player did seem intent on a change of scenery.
But following two excellent evenings, Havertz now has the chance to make the spot his own, a position he should keep against Wolves.
Of course, both Arsenal and Havertz will be aware that they shouldn’t get too carried away with the showing against Lens – it’s rare for a team to not drop deep at the Emirates.
And Wolves will be a tough test, a side who will probably show a lot more caution despite their own qualities.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see if Arteta does in fact make any changes to his Arsenal XI that beat Lens.
Perhaps Ben White replacing Takehiro Tomiyasu is the only obvious change.
But judging by Mikel Arteta’s reaction last night, the Japan international could be set for an extended run of starts.