Arsenal vs Bate result: Five things we learned as Mesut Ozil shines on his Europa League return

Arsenal 3-0 BATE: The Gunners cruised into the Europa League round of 16

Arsenal eased to a routine 3-0 victory against BATE Borisov to advance to the Europa League round of 16.

Unai Emery’s side started fast and caught the Belarusians off-guard, as Zakhar Volkov flailed at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross and sliced the ball into the top corner of his own net to give the Gunners the lead.

And after dominating possession, with Mesut Ozil excelling in the No 10 role in a wide-open game, Shkodran Mustafi headed Arsenal two-clear just before half-time from a corner

In the second half, Sokratis, who replaced a limping Laurent Koscielny, also rose highest to add Arsenal’s third and secure victory in a game they controlled from the opening kick.

Here’s five things we learned from the game:

Mesut Ozil returns in a Houdini act...

Not since the 29 January had Mesut Ozil been seen in an Arsenal shirt, beyond the smokescreen of social media posts and vague references to the sniffles.

But, once finally granted a returned to the first XI, the stage was primed and polished for the German’s overdue return.

It’s easy to fawn over Ozil’s influence on Arsenal’s play in this match, the silken touch and languid ability to dictate every move with only the most innocuous of touches. Within the first five minutes, he had twice released Alex Iwobi down the left-wing with nothing more than a mindless pass. The type of casual brilliance, stretching Bate’s defenders and picking pockets of space, that the Gunners so desperately lacked in Belarus.

When Ozil plays in his starring role, given free licence to roam the pitch, he seems so natural that the other players around him are reduced to being off-beat. The constant interplay with Iwobi, the composure in the box to source a final ball. Once Arsenal were beyond and clear, then the flicks, backheels and no-look passes were all hauled out for the highlight reel.

Ozil may not be an Emery player. He may not function against the top sides in the Premier League, but when faced with such technically inferior opposition such as tonight, he makes everything seem so simple and easy, and as irresistible as ever.

Stuck in the headlights...

It only took three-and-half minutes for Arsenal to put the tie on even keel. From that moment onward, it already felt over. That the Arsenal which has spent this season on intermittent sabbaticals had returned for one of its nights of theatre.

The Emery side in Belarus were lethargic and leaden-footed, but here they instantly fizzed into life. After Iwobi had twice surged to the byline before attempting to cut back to the awaiting Aubameyang, it was the striker who turned provider, latching on to a long-ball without a yellow shirt in sight. Head down, afterburners on, he swiped across at the face of goal, blinded to the fact there was not an Arsenal player in sight. But Zakhar Volkov, still rusty and mud stuck by Arsenal’s fast start, could only slice his attempted clearance into his own net.

Ozil impressed on his return (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Fluid four at the back...

Emery decided on a back four this week, after a relentless series of shuffling between two formations, and the result was that Arsenal were unrecognisable from the side who lacked movement, closed off their own spaces and crossed running lines with their own teammates last week.

Most notable of Arsenal’s switch to a back-four was the transition between attack and defence, a hark back to the days of glory, glory counter-attacks - much in the vein that Solskjaer has conjured at Manchester United.

Every time Arsenal dispossessed BATE, you felt as though they could score. The likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Iwobi, playing on either wing, who are often guilty of being overly ponderous and passing sideways, burst forward at their opposite numbers with confidence and incision.

And Aubameyang, flying solo up front thanks to Alexandre Lacazette’s red card in the reverse fixture, thrived without having to share the area with his strike partner. There was space for him to burst into and likewise for Ozil to weave in behind. When the game is gridlocked, Arsenal can never seem to find the solution. But when they are set up in a way to stretch it, they find a comfort zone.

Koscielny limped off injured (Action Images via Reuters)

Still signs of uncertainty in defence...

BATE only came truly close to scoring on one occasion. They were also, though, just inches away, as Stephan Lichtsteiner scrambled back to the line to clear after Dzmitry Baha skipped past Nacho Monreal and set up Stanislav Dragun. A retaliation then, and an away goal - just minutes after Arsenal had scored - which would have sucked the morale from the stadium and turned the tie on its head.

That was the moment most brittle but the gaps in Arsenal's defence were still there plain to see. In the first half, at their strongest, they held a high line and pressed with confidence, but the spaces between centre-half and full-back are always evident and were exploited on the very rare occasion BATE did manage to marauder upfield.

In the second half, a routine free-kick soon after the whistle saw Nacho Monreal beaten to the header and a goalmouth scramble which forced Petr Cech into a diving save.

Make no mistake, Arsenal were never in danger of defeat, but neither is there reason to praise the signs of a defence which is ready to stem the tide of goals which have gone against them.

The glimmer of silverware...

The way Arsenal waltzed three goals past Bate was an indication of how poorly the Belarusian champions had played, but the sheer fact they made it to the knockout stages is a reckoning of Arsenal’s Europa League prospects.

Last year, it was Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid – who just defeated Juventus 2-0 in the Champions League round of 16 – who felled Arsenal in the semi-finals. This year, only Napoli and London rivals Chelsea stand out as fearsome tests for the Gunners.

The competition not only offers a route back into the Champions League, and the added promise of being able to lure new players in the summer, but it could also bring Arsenal’s first trophy under Emery and with it, make a resounding success of a turbulent season.