The mathematics was still causing a few heads to be scratched after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, but Declan Rice gave the new Champions League format a thumbs up.

If Mikel Arteta had been making a checklist of what Arsenal needed from Dinamo Zagreb's to the Emirates Stadium. it might have looked a little something like this: the three points that would take them to the brink of the round of 16,

The perfect start came when Declan Rice slammed home after good work from Gabreil Martinelli on the left and Kai Havertz. It was the midfielder’s first goal in the competition and Arseanl’s earliest since 2014. In the second half, Havertz scored a header again after good work from from Martinelli before Martin Odegaard completed the victory.