Arsenal score seven against PSV
PSV Eindhoven 1 - 7 Arsenal
Arsenal put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals with a ruthless demolition of PSV. They can still finish this season with a trophy.
Mikel Arteta’s side were in complete control from the outset, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time before adding four more in a dominant second-half display. With a trip to Madrid now looming, progression to the next stage looks all but secured.
PSV had an early glimmer of hope when Ismael Saibari struck the crossbar, but Arsenal quickly took charge. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and within moments, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead, finishing emphatically after a sharp cutback from Myles Lewis-Skelly.
There was a moment of fortune for Lewis-Skelly, who had already been booked, when he escaped further punishment for a foul on Richard Ledezma. Sensing the risk, Arteta swiftly withdrew him, bringing on Riccardo Calafiori before the break.
Mikel Merino added a third after a defensive lapse, but PSV briefly threatened a response when Noa Lang converted from the penalty spot following a foul by Thomas Partey on Luuk de Jong.
Any hope of a comeback was short-lived. Arsenal came out firing in the second half, and Martin Ødegaard made it 4-1 with a clinical finish after goalkeeper Walter BenÃtez could only parry a cross into his path. Moments later, Calafiori linked up brilliantly with Leandro Trossard, who coolly chipped the ball over BenÃtez to add a fifth.
Ødegaard then produced a stunning solo effort for his second of the night before Calafiori rounded off the scoring late on, sealing Arsenal’s biggest-ever away win in the Champions League.
With the second leg still to play, Arsenal already have one eye on the next round, where a meeting with either 15-time champions Real Madrid or city rivals Atlético awaits. Real hold a slender 2-1 lead after Tuesday’s first leg, setting up a tantalising return fixture at the Wanda Metropolitano.
This can still be a memorable campaign for Arsenal
In the build-up to this match, much of the focus was on Mikel Arteta and whether he could solve Arsenal’s recent struggles in front of goal. But on the night, the free-scoring Gunners showed no signs of a team that had drawn a blank in three of their last four games.
From the outset, Arsenal were dominant, pressing high and moving the ball with an urgency that had been missing in recent weeks.
Declan Rice had a goal ruled out for offside, while Martin Ødegaard was left frustrated after appeals for a penalty were waved away. But the early chances were a clear statement of intent—despite a string of injuries to key attackers, Arsenal had rediscovered their cutting edge.
