With a very easy victory over the French champions, Mikel Arteta’s team claimed their first continental victory of the year.Arsenal defeated a struggling Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on Tuesday to claim their first Champions League victory of the year thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
After a strong first fifteen minutes, the visitors lost the lead as Havertz raced into the penalty box in the last minute and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma to Leandro Trossard’s cross.As PSG pressed for an equaliser, Nuno Mendes struck the crossbar from a distance and Achraf Hakimi forced David Raya into a save, but Saka’s right-wing free kick beat Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey to find the back of the net for Arsenal.Similar trends continued in the second half, as PSG had lots of possession but offered little in the way of open play.
Joao Neves’ poked corner up onto the crossbar was the closest PSG got to equalising. On the other hand, Mikel Arteta’s team was spared the consequences when Martinelli shot straight at Donnarumma twice when he probably ought to have done better.The Arsenal players from the Emirates Stadium are ranked by GOAL…
Goalkeeper & Defence
David Raya (7/10):
Didn’t have to make too many saves, but solid when called upon. Superb with his distribution, and almost had an assist with his early ball over the top for Martinelli.
Jurrien Timber (8/10):
Dealt superbly with the threat of Barcola as the France winger was neutralised throughout the first half. Replaced at half-time, which is a slight concern given his injury history.
William Saliba (8/10):
Even when backed into a corner, the French centre-back is never fazed. Oozes class in everything he does, whether in or out of possession.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):
Made a couple of decent recoveries on what was an ultimately comfortable evening.
Riccardo Calafiori (6/10):
Beaten for pace on a few occasions by Hakimi and didn’t always look great defensively. More effective going the other direction.
Midfield
Thomas Partey (7/10):
Swept up excellently in front of the back four. Given a rest after an hour to allow Merino to make his debut.
Declan Rice (6/10):
Neat and tidy, with a couple of driving runs thrown in there. Relatively quiet, but this wasn’t a game where he needed to get out of third gear.
Attack
Bukayo Saka (8/10):
Left Nuno Mendes for dead on a few occasions and always looked a threat in the final third. Fortunate his free-kick curled all the way in, but deserved the luck given his overall performance.
Leandro Trossard (8/10):
At the heart of the majority of Arsenal’s best moves as he always looked to carry the ball forward. Excellent dribble and cross led to Havertz’s opener.
Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):
The quietest of Arsenal’s attacking quartet, as most of the Gunners’ best attacks came down the opposite flanks. Perhaps should have done better when he fired straight at Donnarumma twice in the second half.
Kai Havertz (8/10):
His late runs into the box caused problems all night, and it was one of those darts that led to him heading Arsenal in front. His first touch is to die for, too.
Subs & Manager
Jakub Kiwior (7/10):
On at half-time and made some excellent defensive interventions from left-back.
Mikel Merino (6/10):
Given a big ovation as he made his debut off the bench. Solid first outing.
Gabriel Jesus (5/10):
Didn’t contribute all that much after coming on for Trossard for the final 20 minutes.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A):
On in injury-time.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
By no means a tactical masterclass but clearly told his team to stay patient and wait for their moments, and they did just that in an excellent display.