Welbeck hits first hat-trick in Arsenal romp

Danny Welbeck helped himself to a first senior hat-trick as Arsenal ripped a wretched Galatasaray defence to shreds in a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

Alexis Sanchez also netted four minutes prior to half-time when he dashed onto a Mesut Ozil pass to slide the ball beyond visiting goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Galatasaray coach Cesare Prandelli's ill-advised decision to operate with three defenders began to unravel on 22 minutes when Welbeck accepted an intelligent pass from Alexis to prod the ball under Muslera.

He added his second on 30 minutes as Aurélien Chedjou failed to connect with a header allowing Welbeck to race away from Felipe Melo before finishing with some ease.

The third came from an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pass on 52 minutes before Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for a last-man challenge on Burak Yılmaz, who converted the consolation goal on 63 minutes.

Arsenal's 10 men were never overly tested, but David Ospina did well when he replaced Szczesny. On what was a bad night all round for the Turkish club, flares were tossed onto the Emirates pitch coming from the animated 3,000 visiting fans.

They are sure to face punishment from UEFA, but Arsenal recovered well from their 2-0 mauling at Borussia Dortmund in their Group D opener to boost hopes of reaching the last 16.

22' - GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Gala! Welbeck prods the ball under Muslera from the Alexis pass. And that is the lead for the home side. Suddenly the Emirates alive to the evening.

30' - GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Gala! Melo all over the place at the back as Welbeck drives through before planting the ball beyond Muslera. A second goal for Welbeck.

41' - GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Gala! Galatsaray all over the place again at the back as Alexis darts onto an Ozil pass before smashing the ball into the corner. 3-0 and this game is over.

52' - GOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Gala! Welbeck dinks the ball into the net. Over Muslera from the Oxlade-Chamberlain pass. And it is a hat-trick.

60' - RED CARD AND PENALTY TO GALATASARAY! Szczęsny takes out Burak Yılmaz, and he is off. Poor, poor challenge.

62' - GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Gala! Yilmaz drives it to his right. Ospina went right. And that is now a 4-1 lead for Arsenal, who are down to 10 men.

80' - CHANCE! Superb stop by Ospina to keep out the header from Yilmaz. That ball looked destined for the net. Brilliant by the new man.

90+3' - CHANCE! Cazorla lifts the ball over Muslera, but doesn't find enough juice on the chip as the ball is hacked off the line. Almost 5-1, but 4-1 will do.

Danny Welbeck is the sixth Englishmen to score a hat-trick in the Champions League (Newell, Andrew Cole, Shearer, Owen, Rooney)

Danny Welbeck is the third Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Henry and Bendtner.

Arsenal have now picked up 15 red cards in the Champions League. Only Juve (20) & Inter (17) have more.

Arsenal have scored three times in a CL game for the first time in 16 attempts (last did so vs Olympiakos in 2012)

Arsenal have collected five red cards in their last seven European matches (inc. qualifiers)

TALKING POINT: Is Arsenal's season set to take off now? This win - one which marks Arsene Wenger's 18 years running the club - must come with a cautionary note because the visiting side were so bad they would have struggled to cope with some Championship attacks. Welbeck, Alexis and Cazorla were all very good, but the litmus test for progress surely comes in the league at Chelsea on Sunday. Remember, that is a ground where they lost 6-0 in March.

Danny Welbeck (Arsenal) - Wasn't up against much of a side, but still had to stick the ball in the net. This he did. Terrified the Turkish side throughout the evening. Looks more like a man who is worth £16m.

Arsenal: Szczesny 5, Chambers 7, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Gibbs 7, Flamini 7, Cazorla 8, Ozil 7, Alexis 7, Oxlade-Chamberlain 8, Welbeck 9..subs: Ospina 8, Rosicky 7, Wilshere 6

Galatasaray: Muslera 5, Chedjou 4, Felipe Melo 4, Kaya 4; Veysel 5, Yekta 5, Dzemaili 5, Telles 5, Sneijder 6; Pandev 5, Burak Yilmaz 6..subs: Altintop 6, Bulut 6, Bruma 6