Arsenal humiliated PSV Eindhoven with a 7-1 demolition in the Champions League last-16 first leg, all but securing their place in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal produced one of their most dominant performances in this competition, ruthlessly dismantling PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the Champions League last-16 first leg in the Netherlands.
Mikel Arteta’s side were scintillating from start to finish, exposing PSV’s naivety and lack of defensive structure in a statement victory that all but seals their place in the quarter-finals.
From the opening whistle, Arsenal dictated the tempo, carving through PSV with ease as the Dutch champions played right into their hands. The visitors’ intensity and technical superiority overwhelmed Peter Bosz’s side, who naively attempted to go toe-to-toe with a team that thrives in transition.
Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a powerful header, before Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead just three minutes later. It was a historic moment – Myles Lewis-Skelly providing the assist to his fellow teenager, marking the first time two English teenagers had combined for a Champions League goal.
By the 31st minute, Arsenal were in complete control as Mikel Merino capitalised on dreadful defending to make it 3-0. PSV momentarily found a lifeline through a Noa Lang penalty before halftime, but any faint hopes of a comeback were extinguished within minutes of the restart.
A quickfire Arsenal double early in the second half saw Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard add their names to the scoresheet, leaving PSV humiliated.
Ødegaard, who was imperious throughout, then struck again in the 73rd minute with a swerving long-range effort that left goalkeeper Walter Benítez flapping.
Riccardo Calafiori completed the rout in the 85th minute, slotting home after a precise pass from Ødegaard.
By that stage, PSV fans had seen enough. Many had already headed for the exits, unable to watch their team succumb to such a brutal defeat. Those who remained looked on in stunned silence as Arsenal closed out the game with ease, their players barely celebrating the final goal, this was business, not sentiment.
For Arteta, the performance was exactly what Arsenal needed after recent domestic struggles. “We know what we’re capable of, and today we showed it,” he said post-match. “The players executed the plan brilliantly, and we have put ourselves in a strong position. But nothing is finished, we have to finish the job.”
With a six-goal advantage heading into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, it would take a collapse of historic proportions for Arsenal to be denied a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
On this evidence, they look like a side capable of going much further.