Kai Havertz went off to another standing ovation as Arsenal stage.

Yes, that’s right. Another standing ovation. Havertz is also the player that makes you do a double take when you look at the record books this season. Havertz has now got 14 goals in all competitions, he provided the assist for Declan Rice’s opener and was clearly the most influential player on the pitch.

They were singing their Waka Waka chant after he scored - £60m down the drain, Havertz scores again - to show they know better than the rest of us. But they are the ones who this month because, apparently, they need a striker to save their season.

What about the one you already have? There is no escaping that Havertz is not a classic No9, he does miss chances and yet his 14 goals in 30 games is better than last year when it took him 52 games to score 14.

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So Havertz is actually improving as well as scoring and this season he is pretty much a one-in-two striker which is what every Premier League team wants. To cap it all, Havertz’s goal was also the 500th of Mikel Arteta’s five-year reign as he has been in charge for 266 games.

It was hardly a tough night for Arsenal because Dinamo Zagreb were pretty lame opponents and it was a precession at times. No wonder. Dinamo have just returned after a winter break of nearly a month - and it really showed.

This was a gift for Arsenal and one to help boost the confidence for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli who got an assist and Martin Odegaard got his first goal since the end of November.

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They hardly had to break into a sweat ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wolves. Arsenal are not mathematically qualified for automatic qualification for the last 16 but it will take a remarkable turn of results for them to miss out on a place in the top eight.

Arsenal need a point in Girona next Wednesday to score their place next week but even defeat would still need an incredible swing of goals. They finished the penultimate night of the new format in third place.

It was a stroll after Rice put Arsenal ahead after just 104 seconds. That is Arsenal’s fastest goal in the competition since Yaya Sanogo against Borussia Dortmund in November, 2014, which was after just 72 seconds.

Martinelli made a darting run down the left, Havertz cushioned the cross and there was Rice with a perfectly-timed run to smash home a half volley. Arsenal should have got more goals. Gabriel missed a big headed chance, Raheem Sterling still looks woefully short of confidence and fluffed his lines while Rice had an effort blocked.

It was always coming, though. Martinelli put over a teasing cross in the 66th minute and there was Havertz ghosting in at the back post to head in. His night was done and he was subbed soon after to a great reception.

Arteta gave youngster Nathan Butler-Oyedeji his first team debut while Ethan Nwaneri was back from injury as another substitute. Good news as Myles Lewis-Skelly missed out through injury.

There was still time for Arsenal to get a third in injury time. Leandro Trossard’s low cross was converted by Odegaard from close range. Arsenal have put themselves back among the Champions League elite - and now they have to prove they belong there.

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