Zagreb job done for Arsenal

Arsenal all but booked their place in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League with a superb 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia on Tuesday night.

Two goals from Cesc Fabregas and a Robin van Persie strike were enough to give last season's losing finalists a commanding lead in their third round qualifying tie.

All the talk before the game was about the futures of Ashley Cole and Jose Antonio Reyes, who was left on the bench, but Arsene Wenger's men did their talking on the pitch.

Arsenal started the game confidently and had the first chance of the game on seven minutes when van Persie drove a free kick from the edge of the area just over the crossbar after Cesc Fabregas had been fouled.

Dinamo fashioned their first opportunity of the contest five minutes later when Luka Modric flashed a shot just wide of the target after the ball was cut back to him inside the box.

Arsenal new boy Tomas Rosicky had a half-chance on 22 minutes with a shot straight at Ivan Turina.

Dinamo missed a good opening on 26 minutes when a neat one-two sent Modric through on goal, but he failed to test Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal.

The hosts suffered a blow minutes later when Davor Vugrinec was forced off and had to be replaced by Jasim Agic.

Emmanuel Eboue came to Arsenal's rescue on 29 minutes with a vital intervention to deny Agic a shot on goal.

Emmanuel Adebayor went closest to scoring for Arsenal on 34 minutes with a fierce strike from edge of the area which flew just wide of the far post.

The impressive Modric had the last chance of the half with a powerful shot which just failed to hit the target. Dinamo came out firing at the start of the second half and Agic wasted a good opening on 49 minutes when he fluffed a free header inside the box.

Van Persie went close on 56 minutes with a neat turn and shot on the edge of the box, which Turina was forced to palm out.

Arsenal grabbed the crucial away goal on 63 minutes when van Persie neatly fed Fabregas inside the box and the Spanish midfielder clinically drilled his shot into the bottom corner past Turina.

The Gunners stunned Dinamo with a second goal a minute later when van Persie ran clear onto Alexander Hleb's pass and held off a challenge from a Dinamo defender before firing his shot low past Turina.

Fabregas went close to scoring again on 69 minutes with a fierce strike which Turina spectacularly kept out.

Johan Djourou produced a brilliant piece of defending seconds later to keep out Eduardo, as he raced back to clear the ball from the Dinamo forward.

Modric looked the man most likely to score for Dinamo and he forced a good save from Almunia with a smart shot which the Spaniard saved low down to his near post.

Arsenal added a third when Fabregas brilliantly worked his way past two Dinamo defenders and slotted a neat shot past Turina.

Mathieu Flamini missed a great chance to net a fourth in the final minute when he raced clear on goal, but only to see his shot kept out by Turina.