Whatever happens this season, Arsenal will get to play in Baku.
They travel to the Azerbaijani capital to face FC Qarabag next month for their second Europa League group fixture.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery, though, is clearly planning for a return trip to Baku for the final in May.
His team took a while to get going here, but eventually they were clinical in their dissection of Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava as Arsenal got their European campaign off to a winning start.
Goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Danny Welbeck and Mesut Ozil ensured the Gunners cruised to victory
Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick celebrates scoring the opening goal of the game after 32 minutes at the Emirates Stadium
The Gabon international latched onto a cross from Alex Iwobi (not pictured) and guided the ball into the corner of the net
Goalkeeper Bogdan Shust is wrong-footed by the shot from Aubameyang and can do nothing to stop the well-placed shot
Aubameyang is congratulated by Rob Holding and his Arsenal team-mates after scoring the opening goal of the match
Danny Welbeck (left) connects with a perfect cross from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and heads Arsenal into a two-goal lead
Arsenal players congratulate Welbeck after his headed goal gives them a two-goal lead in their Europa League group match
Aubameyang, in particular, caught the eye. People will point to the opposition – and they’d be right too. Vorskla hardly laid a glove on the Gunners, they couldn’t get near them. Nevertheless, the Gabon striker was ruthless in front of goal.
Former Gunners defender Martin Keown was certainly impressed: ‘He reminded me of [Thierry] Henry and that’s a massive compliment, there’s a kind of swagger about him and maybe now he will start to believe in himself.’
After losing his first two game in charge, Emery has now led his team to four straight victories.
Slowly, the Spaniard’s revolution is taking shape. Judgement on Arsene Wenger’s successor will be reserved until much later in the season, that’s only fair. The current signs, though, are promising.
And no-one could ever accuse Emery of downgrading the Europa League in his list of priorities. The fact he’s won the competition three times with Sevilla illustrates just that.
So did his team selection, the Spaniard naming a surprisingly strong starting XI – with summer signings Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira and Stephan Lichtsteiner all handed their full debuts.
Aubameyang of Arsenal curls a well placed effort into the corner of the net to score his second and Arsenal’s third of the night
Alex Iwobi (centre) and Mkhitaryan congratulate their team-mate Aubameyang after scoring his second goal of the evening
Ozil celebrates his first goal and Arsenal’s fourth of the night shortly after coming off the bench as a substitute
Volodymyr Chesnakov of Vorskla Poltava celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal just minutes after Ozil’s strike
Vyacheslav Sharpar scores Vorskla’s second goal past Arsenal’s goalkeeper Bernd Leno with the final kick of the match
Arsenal made it to the semi-final of this competition last season where they were eventually outmuscled by Atletico Madrid – who went onto to lift the trophy.
With Champions League qualification through domestic avenues harder than ever to achieve, Emery seems intent on making the most of the Europa League as he seeks a place back at European football’s top table.
Shame Arsenal’s fans don’t have the same sort of enthusiasm.
In his pre-match press conference, the Arsenal manager spoke of his desire to ‘excite’ the Emirates Stadium. Someone should have told him there wouldn’t be that many fans to excite. The malaise transmitted onto the pitch during a dour opening period.
Alex Iwobi’s shot that sailed over the cross bar in the 28th minute was as close as Arsenal went during the early exchanges.
Emery was far from happy, at one stage taking his frustration out on fourth official Yves De Neve – who was demanding the Arsenal manager stay in his technical area.
You understood the Spaniard’s tetchiness, though, his side were going through the motions. Happily ambling along.
Hundreds of empty seats can be seen in the upper tier of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium as many fans choose to stay at home
Arsenal’s Ozil (right), Alexandre Lacazette (centre) and Matteo Guendouzi joke on the substitutes bench on Thursday
Mkhitaryan of Arsenal goes down under pressure from Ardin Dallku of Vorskla Poltava during the early minutes
Stephan Lichtsteiner of Arsenal appears to disagree with a decision of match referee Bart Vertenten during the first half
Aubameyang attempts a spectacular volley for Arsenal but sees his effort go flying over the bar during the second half
The stats underlined their lack of cutting edge, accumulating almost 80 percent possession – but not managing a single shot on target. Well, not until the 32nd minute when the Gunners – finally – exploded into life.
You almost didn’t have time to blink between the period Henrikh Mkhitaryan stole the ball on the edge of his own area and Aubameyang finished at the other end.
Mkhitaryan to Iwobi; Iwobi to Aubameyang. Goal. Sounds simple. But up until the goal it really hadn’t been an easy night for Arsenal. Perhaps they knew their quality would eventually tell. That was true on Thursday night.
But that hasn’t always been the case here at the Emirates. That’s why they are playing in the Europa League.
Torreira hit the side netting nine minutes before the break with an arcing free-kick that almost caught Vorskla goalkeeper Bohdan Shust napping as Arsenal sought to blow the Ukranians away.
And then on the stroke of half-time Aubameyang went mightily close to doubling his tally and Arsenal’s lead with a vicious, swerving effort from 20 yards that rattled the post before Mkhitaryan saw his effort tipped over the bar by Shust.
The Vorksla goalkeeper must have been relieved when referee Bart Vertenten blew for half-time when he did.
Arsenal’s English midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe made his competitive debut to become the first player born in 2000 to do so
Lacazette appears unenthusiastic on the Arsenal bench as he sees Ozil and Guendouzi subbed on early in the second half
Arsenal were moving through the gears at a rapid rate, it looked only a matter of time before they extended their advantage. That was indeed the case as Welbeck notched his second goal of the season just three minutes after the restart, nodding home Mkhitaryan’s accurate cross.
After their lethargic start, Arsenal were cruising. Aubameyang fired narrowly over the bar with an audacious volley soon after Welbeck’s goal.
Arsenal’s record signing didn’t have to wait too long for his second of the night, however, firing home from the edge of the area after another Mkhitaryan assist in the 56th minute.
Arsenal were home and hosed. Yet Emery continued to go for the jugular, throwing on Mesut Ozil in search of more goals before handing academy graduate Emile Smith-Rowe his senior debut.
And Ozil duly delivered, tapping into an empty net in the 74th minute before Volodymyr Chesnakov and Vyacheslav Sharpar scored two late consolations for Vorskla.
Bigger tests of the Emery regime will follow; starting with a home clash against Everton on Sunday. But victory against the Toffees this weekend and people may just start asking: ‘Arsene who?’
Arsenal manager Unai Emery dictates instructions from the technical area during his first European match with the club