Arsenal celebrated Arsene Wenger's 18th anniversary as The Gunners boss by earning three points against Galatasaray. The standout of the match was Danny Welbeck's first hat-trick in red and white, giving Wenger's side room to breathe after their Matchday 1 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal started with a bang against the Turkish side, having Welbeck strike the back of the net after 22 minutes, putting to good use an assist by Alexis Sanchez. Just eight minutes later, the player loaned by Manchester United scored his second goal of the night for the Gunners. Welbeck scored the same goals for Arsenal in his first 30 UEFA Champions League minutes as he did for the Red Devils in his last 13 appearances.
Having gone down in the scoreboard, Galatasaray fans started throwing flares on the pitch, causing the match to stop for a few minutes:
Once the game resumed, Arsenal continued their relentless attack on the Turkish net. Alexis Sanchez beat the keeper before the first half ended, taking advantage of a good pass by Mesut Özil. After the halftime break, Welbeck made his third goal of the evening, this time assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Welbeck became the third Gunner ever to score a Champions League hat-trick.
Perhaps the only downside for Arsenal was the red card to their goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny after 60 minutes. Yilmaz traded in the opportunity from the penalty kick spot.
Arsenal come back on track after losing their first match against Borussia Dortmund. Welbeck's performance was praised by fans all over the world. Have a look at what they said!
Welbeck 1: 0 UTD
— #BringBackMyManUtd (@thenanaaba) October 1, 2014
So, so delighted for Danny Welbeck. Already it's abundantly clear he is a true team player. Potential as big as that hattrick grin.
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) October 1, 2014
Olivier Giroud watching Danny Welbeck score a hat-trick like.. pic.twitter.com/NqTGb6UtFj
— Sunday League Footy (@SundayChants) October 1, 2014
Danny Welbeck scores his first ever career hatrick on a night when his former teammates are glued to their TV screens
— Oscar (@jackflyboy) October 1, 2014
Perfect way to celebrate 18 years at the helm! Well done to Arsene Wenger & his boys... Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray
— Tshegofatso (@IamTshegoRapoo) October 1, 2014
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