With the potential for plenty of drama elsewhere, this was a rare UCL matchday-eight dead-rubber between two sides whose fate had already been sealed.
The pressure was off Mikel Arteta’s league phase table-toppers, and they took a second-minute lead against the already-eliminated Kazakh champions when Viktor Gyökeres latched onto Kai Havertz’s through ball and dispatched a right-footed finish past Temirlan Anarbekov.
However, Kairat netted a surprise equaliser after Riccardo Calafiori was penalised for pulling Jorginho in the box, and the Portuguese confidently dispatched the subsequent penalty.
That was only the third goal Arteta’s side had conceded in this league phase, but they were soon in front again, thanks to Havertz’s first goal in almost a year. The German picked up Ben White’s ball down the right, cut inside and unleashed a fine finish past Anarbekov.
Arsenal looked to rubber-stamp their dominance from that point, as Gabriel Martinelli added a third with a point-blank finish at the far post following a well-worked move that was eventually given after a lengthy offside VAR review.
The Gunners were looking very comfortable against a Kairat side unable to offer much themselves, and didn’t really have to get out of second gear here.
Noni Madueke teed himself for a long-range shot that was parried to safety by Anarbekov, with the visitors looking to avoid being on the receiving end of a heavier defeat.
Arsenal thought they had netted a fourth in the closing stages when Gabriel Jesus applied a precise finish from Christian Nørgaard’s excellent lofted pass but the goal was ruled out after the Brazilian was adjudged to have been offside.
Kairat showed great pride and added a second in stoppage time when Ricardinho headed home from Valery Gromyko’s cross.
This was an expected win for Arteta’s side, but an important one which gets the north Londoners back in their groove after a sobering Premier League defeat to Manchester United at the weekend.
They have now won their last 17 European home group stage/league phase matches, and will continue to be among the favourites to lift the trophy in May.
Meanwhile, Kairat’s historic campaign comes to an end, and continue to dream of a first-ever UCL main stage victory after bowing out of the competition with a solitary point.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kai Havertz (Arsenal)