Ipswich 0-4 Arsenal: Match report & 3 talking points as Trossard brace helps Gunners to routine win | OneFootball

Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as Leandro Trossard scored twice in a comfortable 4-0 win over ten-man Ipswich Town.

The Gunners were riding high after they secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, and they weren't required to exert themselves all that much at Portman Road.

Their easy triumph opened up a six-point gap between themselves and Newcastle in third, while Ipswich seem destined to take the third relegation spot after Leicester City's drop back to the second tier was confirmed.

How the game unfolded

Arsenal's Premier League title chances may be gone, but Mikel Arteta's team selection showed that he has no intention of getting dragged into the dogfight for a top-five finish. The Gunners were subtly rotated from Wednesday night's victory in Madrid, and they looked intent on putting Ipswich to the sword at Portman Road.

The visitors carried the swagger from their Bernabeu success into Sunday's fixture, as they manoeuvred beyond Ipswich's primarily zonal work without the ball with ease. Possession was monopolised and their fluidity proved overwhelming.

Bukayo Saka sparkled down the right, playing an instrumental role in Leandro Trossard's opener before Gabriel Martinelli added a second for Arsenal before the half-hour mark. What already was a difficult afternoon for Kieran McKenna's side was made harder by Leif Davis' dismissal for a nasty challenge on Saka's Achilles just four minutes after the Gunners doubled their lead.

However, they just about avoided falling further behind before half-time, as Saka missed a trio of chances to well and truly put the contest beyond the Tractor Boys.

The hosts had little hope of getting back into the contest, especially with Liam Delap on the bench, although their start to the second half was spirited. Arsenal quickly restored control, however, and it was no surprise that the remainder of the contest was a procession.

Alex Palmer wasn't peppered between the sticks after Saka's spate of chances at the end of the first half, but Arsenal did add a third through another pinpoint Trossard finish with 20 minutes to go.

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji was introduced for his Premier League debut in the closing stages, and he tested Palmer just after Martin Odegaard hit the post with a dragged effort from the edge of the box. Arsenal then added a fourth via a heavily deflected Ethan Nwaneri shot to add some gloss to an already convincing scoreline.

Check out the player ratings from Ipswich 0-4 Arsenal here.

Leandro Trossard's false nine masterclass

Leandro Trossard scored a brace in Arsenal's win / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

It was this time last year when Trossard came into his own for the Gunners, and this was a performance right out of the Belgian's 2023/24 vintage. While Mikel Merino has operated effectively as a makeshift number nine as of late, Trossard has recently been used as a fluid option up top in Arsenal's Premier League outings.

At Portman Road, the pair were used together, replicating the dynamic we saw between Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz midway through last season. Merino started in midfield but constantly occupied the space vacated by the roaming Trossard. The Ipswich defenders were always reluctant to track the forward's movement, thus handing him free rein to facilitate whatever he pleased in the final third.

After scoring the opening goal with a clever finish in the box, Trossard drifted out to the right and offered an easy route of progression down the flank. Unmarked, he moved the ball on to Saka, who then crossed for Merino to flick on to Martinelli at the back post.

While Trossard performed his role superbly, Arsenal's success revolved around Merino and Saka's willingness to occupy central zones when the Belgian escaped them. The Gunners were wonderfully fluid on Sunday, with Trossard and Merino's mutual understanding pivotal to their triumph.

Bukayo Saka owes FPL managers an apology

Bukayo Saka somehow didn't record a goal contribtution / BEN STANSALL/GettyImages

A double gameweek for Arsenal combined with Saka's recent continental heroics convinced many FPL managers that the winger was a much-needed addition to their lineups.

The Englishman was heavily involved at Portman Road as Arsenal sought to combine and rotate beyond Ipswich's left-hand side. Saka was instrumental in the Gunners' first half goals, but Martin Odegaard's touch robbed him of an assist for Trossard's strike. A pre-assist for their second didn't do FPL owners any favours.

After almost having his Achilles snapped in two by Davis, Saka was oddly booed by the Portman Road faithful, but their jeers seemingly had some impact. The winger had three shots on goal between Davis' red card and half-time, but all three failed to test Palmer between the sticks.

Saka was typically impressive on Sunday, but his afternoon concluded, much to the dismay of those who drafted him in to their FPL teams, without a goal contribution. To rub salt into the wounds, Arteta withdrew his superstar before the hour mark, meaning his efforts warranted just a single point.

He has some making up to do against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Ipswich are as good as down / BEN STANSALL/GettyImages

Ipswich haven't been quite as poor as Leicester and Southampton this season, yet their relegation is set to be confirmed with a month of the campaign remaining.

In the absence of Liam Delap, who only made a cameo appearance off the bench due to a rib injury, the hosts were bereft of threat and were never going to trouble Arsenal's supreme defence despite the ball-carrying abilities of Julio Enciso and Jack Clarke.

They were outclassed on Sunday, even before Davis' dismissal. While McKenna's side have been far more competitive than the two other newly promoted sides, their inability to pick up points at Portman Road has been key to their inevitable demise. You're not going to remain in this division by winning one game at home.

There was nothing surprising about their defeat on Sunday, with supporters merely waiting for official confirmation. They're 15 points behind West Ham with five games to play. Survival would be beyond miraculous.