Arsenal took a huge step toward securing a place in the last four of the Europa League by beating CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Thursday.
All the goals were scored in the first half, with midfielder Aaron Ramsey and returning striker Alexandre Lacazette netting twice for the Gunners.
"It was a spectacular first half played at a high pace but, as well, an uncomfortable one for me because they looked dangerous as well," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal, which has now won five games in a row in all competitions, goes into next Thursday's second leg in the Russian capital in a commanding position.
Wenger said failing to extend the lead in the second half may help the team keep its concentration.
"We know it's not over and we have to go there with the right focus and try to win the game," he said.
In a disappointing season that sees the team occupying sixth place in the English Premier League, way behind in the race for one of the four Champions League berths, the Europa League is the club's last chance of a trophy.
Winning European football's second-tier competition would give Arsenal a route back into the Champions League.
Wenger said it was "too early" to talk about winning the trophy but believed the team had recovered its confidence after a difficult spell this year which included a 3-0 defeat to champions-elect Manchester City in the League Cup final.
Arsenal took a deserved lead in the ninth minute when Ramsey fired in from close range after crisp interplay in and around the CSKA penalty area.
Against the run of play, Aleksandr Golovin leveled in the 15th minute with a dipping, curling free-kick that flew into the top corner beyond the dive of goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Lacazette, in his first start since late January, restored Arsenal's lead in the 23rd minute from the penalty spot after Mesut Ozil was clumsily brought down by Georgi Schennikov.
Arsenal went 3-1 ahead in the 28th minute with probably the best goal of the match. Ozil floated a ball over the CSKA defense to a leaping Ramsey who volleyed it past goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev from eight meters with the heel of his right boot.
Lacazette made it 4-1 in the 35th minute, again after a series of swift passes. Ozil provided the assist once again with a cutback from the touchline to the France striker, who drilled it into the net with a left-footed drive.
Arsenal had several chances to extend its lead in the second half and Ramsey went close to his second career hat trick following his previous one in February, when he struck the post in the 78th minute.
"He's a much better finisher nowadays, he's calmer, the way he finishes, you see he's composed," Wenger said. "Before he rushed a bit."
Atletico Madrid lead Sporting Lisbon after first-leg
Atletico Madrid have edged closer to the Europa Leaguesemi-finals after a comfortable first-leg victory over Sporting Lisbon.
Atleti were ahead inside 23 seconds, the fastest goal in the Europa League so far this season, after Antoine Griezmannteed up Koke to fire past Rui Patricio following a defensive lapse from Sebastian Coates.
The hosts almost doubled their lead moments later when Diego Godin brought a save out of Patricio as Sporting struggled to gain a foothold in the game during the early exchanges.
Coates and Bas Dost then squandered opportunities to bring Sporting level before Griezmann fired another effort wide of the mark.
However, the Frenchman added to Atletico's lead when a mistake from Jeremy Mathieu put the forward in acres of space and he duly slotted past Patricio.
Los Rojiblancos nearly put the tie beyond the reach of the Liga Nos outfit when Diego Costa found himself one-on-one with Patricio but failed to finish.
Sporting almost snatched an away goal in stoppage time when after Jan Oblak pushed Bryan Ruiz's initial effort into the path of Fredy Montero, only for the substitute to blaze over from very short range.
The return leg takes place in Lisbon on April 12.
Lazio win Salzburg thriller
Lazio were pegged back twice by plucky RB Salzburg, but Felipe Anderson and Ciro Immobile gave a 4-2 victory in the Europa League quarter-final first leg.
The Aquile have been flying high in the Europa League, but in this quarter-final hosted a Salzburg side that was unbeaten in the tournament and had already defeated Real Sociedad, Olympique Marseille and Borussia Dortmund. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic returned from injury, but the Austrians had South Korean striker Hee-Chan Hwang suspended.
It was a bright start from the Italians on Coach Simone Inzaghi’s birthday and after a couple of promising moves, they broke through on eight minutes. Dusan Basta was sent running down the right, his pull-back was missed by Ciro Immobile, but turned in by Senad Lulic just behind him from 12 yards.
Salzburg had kept six clean sheets in their 10 Europa League games before this and had a chance to equalise from a corner, but Stefan Lainer’s free header was poor and Marco Parolo blasted wide when snatching at a shot from 25 metres out.
Salzburg were awarded an extremely dubious penalty, as Munas Dabbur was slightly caught in the face by a flailing Basta arm as a cross sailed over them and the referee had waved play on, but the official behind the goal-line awarded the spot-kick. Valon Berisha converted to equalise, sending Thomas Strakosha the wrong way.
Moments later, Lazio were even more furious, because Immobile seemed to be dragged down by Amadou Haidara with both arms around his midriff, but there was no penalty.
Haidara’s volley flashed wide from the edge of the box on a set play, then Immobile and Milinkovic-Savic both went for the same Lucas Leiva chipped pass and collided in the box, wasting a great chance.
Milinkovic-Savic really should’ve scored just before half-time, but turned the free header wide when unmarked at the back post after wonderful work from Lulic to float in the cross.
Luis Alberto had another appeal, but in this case seemed to run into the defender rather than the other way round.
Lazio used that anger to restore their advantage straight after the restart, as Lulic won back possession and surged forward, spread the play and Luis Alberto immediately rolled it across from the right for Parolo’s sensational back-heel flick finish. It was an historic moment, the Biancocelesti’s 300th European goal.
Immobile was incorrectly flagged offside when running clear on goal moments later, while Andreas Ulmer and Luis Alberto had shots smothered in a high-tempo game.
Milinkovic-Savic performed a very risky but perfect sliding tackle on Lainer in the box and Felipe Anderson was thrown into the mix, but Parolo scuffed a promising Immobile pull-back.
Just as Lazio were pushing hard for another goal, they conceded with substitute Takumi Minamino. It was practically the Japan international’s first touch of the game, as Dabbur knocked it on and he sprung the offside trap to beat Strakosha at the near post.
They certainly didn’t lose their heads, because immediately Felipe Anderson turned on the turbo to burst between three defenders and roll the finish past the on-rushing goalkeeper.
Immobile then added a fourth within three minutes, as Lucas Leiva won back possession in midfield and held off until the last moment to roll across, allowing the striker to swing the boot and nutmeg Alexander Walke from 12 yards. It was his 37th goal in 40 competitive games for Lazio this season, seven in his last eight Europa League appearances.
Xaver Schlager and Samassekou were booked and will be suspended for the second leg. Immobile should’ve had a fifth, but his header at the back post on a Parolo cross was flapped off the line by a desperate one-handed save.
Walke missed when trying to fingertip a cross off substitute Felipe Caicedo’s head, but it bounced off his own skull to prevent another goal.
Patric went extremely close in stoppages, his angled drive flashing across the face of goal to scrape the far post.
Timo Werner helps RB Leipzig claim slender lead over Marseille
RB Leipzig have secured a slender lead in their Europa League quarter-final tie thanks to a 1-0 first-leg win over Marseille at the Red Bull Arena.
Timo Werner scored the only goal of the game, a swift breakaway on the stroke of half time culminating in the 22-year-old blasting a powerful shot home.
The hosts enjoyed the lion's share of possession in a first half which took a while to truly get going, though Marseille had the better chances to take the lead.
Kostas Mitroglou rifled a volley goalwards after just nine minutes played which Peter Gulacsi smartly kept out, while Bouna Sarr struck the ball into the turf and off the bar on 41 minutes.
A frantic end to the first half saw Jean-Kevin Augustin denied a penalty and both sides pile forward on the counter in quick succession, though the more clinical Leipzig reaped the benefits.
Marseille continued to threaten after the break and missed several excellent chances to level early on.
The hosts, however, were able to take the sting out of the game and ultimately secured a narrow advantage at the halfway point of the tie.