Having only conceded one goal in their five previous games, Mikel Arteta's side were clearly going to be a tough nut to crack for the hosts; however, football can and does still surprise us with results that have previously seemed unthinkable.
The Gunners do appear to have something extra about them this season, though, and that's despite injuries to key players at various stages of the 2025/26 campaign.
Club Brugge in disarray behind the scenes
Club Brugge's last game in the UCL saw them lose 3-0 against Sporting, placing them in the bottom half of the table, and with three consecutive defeats going into the match against the North Londoners, the sacking of coach Nicky Hayen two days before this match - whilst regrettable in terms of timing - wasn't a surprise either.
Former manager Ivan Lecko was placed in charge, though his (now former) club Gent expressed their shock at the appointment.
"I just learned through the press that Nicky Hayen has been dismissed from Club Brugge and that Ivan Leko is his successor," Gent chairman Sam Baro said. "I'm as stunned as anyone. I can only say that Club Brugge hasn't contacted us."
Not the best situation in which to be facing the form team in Europe, and predictably, the hosts were up against it from the first whistle.
Sensational opener from Madueke
Martin Zubimendi had already made twice as many final third entries as any other player during the opening exchanges, whilst Piero Hincapie hit the woodwork and the visitors had three other chances, before Noni Madueke had the whole Arsenal bench on their feet.
His surging run and finish into the top corner was sensational, and was one of three shots on target he managed in the game - more than anyone on the pitch from either side.
Not since March 2024 in a game for Chelsea against Leicester City had he scored from outside the box, and since the start of last season, only PSV (nine) have scored more than Arsenal's eight goals from distance in the competition.
Only Ajax (10 goals) have a worse record of conceding in the first half, with Madueke's effort being the seventh that Club Brugge had let in before the break in this season's Champions League.
Defensive solidity from Arsenal
Still the Gunners poured forward, though a collective lapse in concentration saw the hosts able to fire off six shots in 10 minutes.
Four shots on target in the opening 45 is the joint-most they've faced before half-time in a Champions League game under Mikel Arteta since Arsenal played PSG last April, and that kept things interesting at least.
Nicolo Tresoldi and Carlos Forbs were busy up front for the hosts, though they were rarely effective. That was due in no small part to the defensive excellence of their visitors; 11 tackles attempted, 11 won, including three each from Hincapie and Christian Norgaard.
Though it was still a slender lead for the North Londoners at the break, they hadn't lost a UCL game in which they'd led at half-time since March 2017 against Bayern Munich (1-5), winning 14 of their 16 games since.
Caught cold after the break
Just a minute and 20 seconds into the second half, the Zubimendi-Madueke partnership worked again as the latter added his and Arsenal's second goal.
It was one of six chances that the Spaniard had created in the game, the most of any player, and the first time ever he'd given two assists in the same match on what was his 256th game in all competitions.
Viktor Gyokeres had an off-target effort shortly afterwards, and this was another game in which he did little, which must be starting to concern his paymasters.
A pass completion of just 66.7% was way down on his teammates' efforts too, and was the worst on show on the night, with the Swedish international also missing two big chances and winning only two of the six tackles he attempted.
Martinelli makes UCL history
Once Gabriel Martinelli had scored his fifth goal in this season's competition with 35 minutes still to play, it was already game over. In so doing, the Brazilian had become the first Arsenal player to score in five successive appearances in the Champions League.
Hincapie and Gyokeres were then subbed off, followed by Madueke and Martin Odegaard a few minutes later.
The Arsenal captain had produced another stellar individual performance at the heart of the visitors' midfield. 64 touches were only bettered slightly by Zubimendi and Norgaard, whilst his 23 passes into the final third with an 87% accuracy couldn't be improved upon by any of his colleagues.
Substitute Gabriel Jesus also deserves plaudits for a cameo appearance that saw him rattle the woodwork and fire off two shots on target as he claws back his fitness after a long injury layoff.
Hosts will rue their wastefulness
Club Brugge, despite having 18 shots at goal, including seven on target, will rue their wastefulness because, in the end, they were more than a match for Arsenal in terms of possession, which the Gunners only just shaded.
They attempted only three fewer passes than their opponents in the entire match (474 - 477), with their 421 accurate passes to the North Londoners' 419 giving them a slightly better completion stat of 88.8% compared to Arsenal's 87.8%, but that is scant consolation.
On such fine margins are these big games sometimes decided.
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