Bukayo Saka's double fired Arsenal a step closer to the Champions League last 16 as the England forward inspired a 3-0 win against Monaco on Wednesday.

Saka netted late in each half and Kai Havertz struck in the closing minutes at the Emirates Stadium to lift Mikel Arteta's side into third place in the revamped league phase.

The Gunners have won four of their six European games this term and, with two matches remaining, they control their destiny in the race for the top-eight finish that guarantees automatic progress to the last 16.

Clubs that finish ninth to 24th in the 36-team first phase face a play-off to determine if they will advance.

With games against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona to come in January, the north Londoners will be confident of avoiding that unwanted obstacle.

After a damaging 1-1 draw against Fulham in the Premier League last weekend, Arsenal's fifth win in their last six games in all competitions was a welcome tonic.

With Arsenal's defensive injury crisis showing no signs of abating, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all absent.

That meant Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey started out of position at right-back despite missing training on Tuesday.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, came in at left-back for just his second Arsenal start, with his other coming in the League Cup against third-tier Bolton.

The youngest player to start a Champions League match for Arsenal since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011, Lewis-Skelly rose to the occasion with a composed display.

In contrast, Gabriel Jesus has gone 32 games without a goal for Arsenal and the Brazilian's lack of confidence was clear in the hosts' first dangerous attack.

Picked out by Gabriel Martinelli's pass, Jesus should have hit the target but could only muster a tame shot straight at Monaco keeper Radoslaw Majecki.

Jesus failed to time his run well enough to reach Mikel Merino's teasing cross moments later. (AFP)