The Ivory Coast forward curled a powerful strike into the top corner after a difficult week following his dismissal at Elland Road.

Reiss Nelson doubled the Gunners’ lead shortly after with a tap-in from close range as Arsenal progressed to the knockout stage with two games to spare.

Substitute Folarin Balogun, 19, scored with his first touch to cement victory for Mikel Arteta’s side in Norway.

The North London side have won all four games in Group B and scored 12 goals in the process, displaying a consistency that is in contrast to their Premier League campaign.

After a bright but goalless first half, £72m signing Pepe broke the deadlock for the Gunners in a style befitting his price tag.

A lovely cushioned touch set the 25-year-old up to fire past goalkeeper Andreas Linde and put Arsenal on their way to last 32.

The Gunners quickly increased their advantage when Nelson, Arsenal’s best player along with Pepe, tapped home after a good pass into the box by Joe Willock.

A comfortable win was completed when Balogun swivelled in the penalty area and fired home a low strike to cap a positive performance by Arteta’s side.

With qualification to the knockout stage secured, the focal point for Arsenal in Europe will be the return of a small number of supporters to Emirates Stadium for the tie against Rapid Vienna on 3 December.

The club tweeted before the game in Norway: “It’s been a long nine long months without our fans. And our matches simply haven’t been the same. So we’re delighted to confirm we’ll be safely welcoming 2,000 fans back to Emirates Stadium for next week’s #UEL fixture.”

An away game in wintry Norway might not have seemed an ideal fixture for Arteta and Arsenal to face after a modest performance in the draw against Leeds and a sobering 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa in the Premier League.

But Pepe, red-carded for a headbutt on Ezgjan Alioski on Sunday, looked keen to repay Arteta’s pre-match words of support with a bright performance.

The former Lille winger’s first moment of threat came when he sprinted down the left and cut inside to make space for a shot but fired over the bar.

He got closer with his next effort from outside the area as his curling drive hit the crossbar with Molde goalkeeper Linde beaten.

The club’s record signing, who will now start the first of his three-match domestic ban against Wolves, eventually got his third goal in the Europa League this season with a neat piece of control and shot.

Pepe’s strike gave Arsenal’s youthful side an injection of confidence and, after a dearth of goals in their previous two fixtures, suddenly Arteta’s side looked dangerous with every attack.

Nelson, who turns 21 in December, was a bright note from the start at the Arker Stadium as he linked up well with captain Alexandre Lacazette and got an early effort on target.

The winger was rewarded for his persistence as he doubled the advantage from the six-yard box and then Balogun, linked with a move from Arsenal in the summer, staked his claim for a new contract by scoring on only his second appearance for the Gunners.

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Solskjaer spent 11 seasons at Old Trafford, scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final.

The 45-year-old takes over with United sixth in the Premier League.

“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” said the Norwegian.

“This is an opportunity I had to take. I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”

Solskjaer, who earlier this month signed a new deal as manager of Norwegian club Molde, will be joined by Mike Phelan, who returns as first-team coach having previously worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.

Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, both part of Mourinho’s coaching staff, will continue to work under Solskjaer.

Solskjaer’s first match in charge will be against Cardiff – where he endured an ill-fated spell as manager – on Saturday.

He was relegated from the Premier League with the Bluebirds during an eight-month spell as manager in 2014, then sacked after a poor start to the Championship campaign.

United will look to appoint a permanent boss at the end of the season.

“Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles,” said Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman.

“His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.

“We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.”

United confirmed the return of Solskjaer, who started his coaching career as the reserve team manager at Old Trafford, on Wednesday morning.

The club appeared to inadvertently announce his arrival 12 hours earlier, when a video featuring Solskjaer scoring the winner in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999 was briefly on their official website.

It led to Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg welcomed Solskjaer’s appointment on social media, writing: “Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils.” She later deleted the tweet.

Molde’s 2018 season has finished for the winter and does not restart until March.

United’s statement announcing Solskjaer’s arrival as caretaker manager made no mention of whether or not he will return to Molde when the Premier League season ends.

But the Norwegian club stressed they were only “lending” Solskjaer to United, indicating they expect him to return to his previous role.

“This is a big opportunity for Molde FK, we think it will be developing and helping to put Molde further on the football card,” Oystein Neerland, the club’s chief executive officer, said.

Solskjaer is in his second spell as Molde manager after returning to the club, little over a year after he was sacked by Cardiff, in October 2015.

In his first spell, Solskjaer led the club to their first Norwegian title in 2011, going on to retain the trophy in the following season.

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