BATE Borisov 2 Arsenal 4: Olivier Giroud joins 100 club as Gunners ease to Europa League victory

Olivier Giroud scored his 100th Arsenal goal as the Gunners cruised to a mostly convincing 4-2 won over BATE Borisov in Belarus.

Jack Wilshere pulled the strings as Theo Walcott netted a brace and Rob Holding scored his first Arsenal goal with Arsene Wenger rewarded for taking an experienced side on his 2,800-mile round trip.

Twice BATE trimmed the Gunners’ lead as Mirko Ivanic and Mikhail Gordeichuk struck either side of half-time. On both occasions, they profited from less-than-exemplary goalkeeping from David Ospina but Belarus’ most successful side might feel they could have done more to test Arsenal’s uninspiring defence.

BATE have earned a reputation as inhospitable hosts for Europe’s elite over recent years. The likes of Bayern Munich, Roma and Athletic Bilbao have all returned home with little to show for over recent years.

Yet for Arsenal, Alyaksandr Yermakovich’s side were far more welcoming and handed Wilshere all the space he could need in midfield to pick his way through the BATE backline at will. Moments after teeing up Walcott to stab a close-range effort against the post the duo were combining again.

A darting run took Wilshere to the byline, from where he crossed for Walcott to head home. Denis Scherbitski got the slightest of touches on the effort but it was not enough to stop the forward snaffling the rebound.

Wilshere had the ball in the net after 17 minutes only to see it ruled out for an incorrect offside call against Walcott.

It mattered not as Scherbitski would soon hand the visitors a golden invitation to double their advantage, passing to Walcott on the edge of the box and watching as he hammered a low drive beyond him.

BATE’s defending was nearly as comical for Arsenal’s third, as Per Mertesacker rose unchallenged to flick on a corner to Holding, who volleyed home from close range.

Rarely though are the Gunners able to make it through 90 minutes without a moment’s anxiety and that came when Ospina was beaten at his near post by a powerful header from BATE playmaker Ivanic.

The hosts were briefly roused, though the only further mark they would leave on the Gunners came when Nemanja Milunovic’s flailing arm connected with Joe Willock’s face.

The visitors reclaimed their three-goal cushion four minutes into the second half when Stanislav Dragun conceded a penalty for grappling with Shkodran Mustafi. Walcott passed up the chance for a hat-trick to allow Giroud to roll home the penalty and join him in Arsenal’s 19-strong list of goalscoring centurions.

But once more Arsenal failed to snuff out BATE’s lingering hope as Gordeichuk smashed home the rebound from Ivanic’s header. Moments later Aleksandr Volodko skewed an effort over the bar when well-placed on the edge of the area.

On the second occasion, Arsenal could not take the sting out of the game and Ospina found his goal peppered with a flurry of dangerous shots.

Ultimately the visitors would weather the storm though the delicate interplay with which they had begun the game was out of the window. Yet for Wenger six points from six will be all that matters as, for once, Arsenal look set to negotiate a group stage with ease.