After that, Arshavin took the stage, as he cut the Dutchmen’s defense with a pass to Samir Nasri, who managed to shake off the defender and grabbed his first goal of the season in his second appearance for the club since breaking his leg in summer.

The Russian national team’s captain masterminded Fàbregas’s second goal of the night early in the second half. He collected a misplaced pass in midfield and delivered it to his teammate a fraction of a second before he would’ve gotten into an offside trap.

A superb back-heel from Eduardo allowed Andrey Arshavin to make his third assist of the game, launching a square ball to unmarked Abou Diaby, who made it 4-0.

Three minutes later – in the 75th minute – the Russian was substituted by Tomas Rosicky and greeted by the applause of the packed stadium.

The Dutchmen managed to grab a consolation goal through Jeremain Lens with eight minutes remaining, but it was not enough to spoil the Gunners’ celebrations, ending at 4-1.

“Arshavin was outstanding. He gave the ball every time the fraction of the second you wanted him to give it, and that is top quality. We have only players here who can play and pass the ball and score – not only goal-scorers but also decisive passers of the ball, and he [Arshavin] has shown that,” Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal coach, said.

Arsenal’s closest rivals Olympiacos were beaten in Belgium, conceding two unanswered goals from Standard’s players Eliaquim Mangala and Milan Jovanovic.

Wednesday’s results guarantee Arsenal qualification for the playoff round in spring, no matter how their two remaining matches end.

The Gunners have 10 points. Olympiacos remain second with 6 points, Standard are third with 4 points, and Az are the last with just 2 points.