Arsenal make UCL history with 7-1 rout of PSV in 1st leg
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal can reach a “different level” ahead of their Champions League clash vs. PSV Eindhoven.
Arsenal rattled in three goals in a 13-minute spell in the first half and then ruthlessly added four more after the break as they made Champions League history with a 7-1 win at PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.
The win was the largest ever by a road team in a Champions League knockout game and Arsenal’s biggest victory away from home in any Champions League match.
Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, followed by a strike from teenager Ethan Nwaneri before Mikel Merino added the third in the 31st minute.
The Dutch champions pulled one back from a Noa Lang penalty for a 3-1 half-time deficit but two goals in the opening three minutes of the second half reinforced Arsenal’s dominance, with captain Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard adding their names to the scoresheet.
Ødegaard got his second goal in the 73rd minute before substitute Riccardo Calafiori netted five minutes from time to complete the rout as Arsenal became the first team to score seven goals in an away Champions League knockout game.
They dominated from the start, although the hosts should have taken the lead in the 16th minute when a cross from Ivan Perisic was palmed away by goalkeeper David Rayainto the path of Ismael Saibari, who rattled the crossbar from close range.
Two minutes later, a clever turn and left-foot cross from Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice saw Timber tower above Lang at the back post to head home and begin the deluge.
The left side of the Gunners’ attack also provided the second goal as Myles Lewis-Skelly played in a square pass that Nwaneri ran onto and slammed home from point-blank range.
Lewis-Skelly was then fortunate to avoid being sent off for a second yellow card after a clumsy challenge that provoked furious protests from the PSV players and bench.
Merino’s contribution came after Timber’s persistence as the Netherlands defender tried to weave his way into the PSV box.
The home side battled to stop him but when the ball spilt free, defender Ryan Flamingo did not clear properly and Merino snapped up the chance to place the ball in the far corner.
Arsenal gave away a penalty three minutes from half-time when Thomas Partey’s outstretched arm caught PSV captain Luuk de Jong around the neck and Lang converted the spot kick.
But any hopes of a recovery were snuffed out after the break as PSV goalkeeper Walter Benítez gifted Ødegaard a goal when he pushed Nwaneri’s cross straight at the Norwegian and within 60 seconds a clever dink from Trossard over Benitez made it 5-1.
Ødegaard fired home the sixth goal and then provided a perfect pass for Calafiori to net at the end of a storming run on a night where everything went right for the visitors.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
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PSV 1-7 Arsenal: Player Ratings as Gunners Dominate in Champions League Return
Arsenal defeated PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash taking a massive lead back to England.
The Gunners’ return to Champions League action couldn’t have gone any better. Mikel Arteta’s team scored three goals in 31 minutes through Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino. Two more goals in two minutes straight out of the tunnel put the game out of sight. Though, PSV never shied away from creating more chances through the likes of Noa Lang and Luuk de Jong. Martin Ødegaard added a sixth later in the second half to cap off an inspired performance from the captain. Riccardo Calafiori scored a seventh in the 85th minute as well.
The win signified the first time in Champions League history that a team has scored seven goals away from home in a knockout stage game. A historic performance that will lift spirits in the Arsenal camp.
A week removed from having their scoring deficiencies highlighted in the Premier League, a strong first leg result gives Arsenal a strong chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals. The only downsides from the game were a first half penalty conceded by Thomas Partey and Myles Lewis-Skelly coming off early because of a yellow card.
If Arsenal were to advance, fans hope both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are fit and ready to go for whichever Madrid team advances on their side of the bracket.
Arsenal player ratings from their best-ever away performance in the Champions League.
Players
Ratings
GK: David Raya
7.2/10
RB: Jurrien Timber
8.5/10
CB: William Saliba
7.9/10
CB: Gabriel
7.7/10
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly
6.2/10
CM: Martin Ødegaard
9.3/10
CM: Thomas Partey
6.4/10
CM: Declan Rice
7.9/10
RW: Ethan Nwaneri
7.8/10
ST: Mikel Merino
8.6/10
LW: Leandro Trossard
8.4/10
SUB: Riccardo Calafiori (35′ for Lewis-Skelly)
8.6/10
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (71′ for Partey)
6.3/10
SUB: Raheem Sterling (71′ for Nwaneri)
5.9/10
SUB: Ben White (76′ for Merino)
5.9/10
SUB: Kieran Tierney (76′ for Timber)
6.6/10
Max Mallow is an editor for Sports Illustrated Soccer. Somehow, he has just enough time every matchday to tweet when an Arsenal player scores a goal.
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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. PSV Eindhoven (4-3-3)
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Max Mallow | 40 Minutes Ago
Ratings Provided by FotMob
|
Players |
Ratings |
|---|---|
|
GK: David Raya |
7.2/10 |
|
RB: Jurrien Timber |
8.5/10 |
|
CB: William Saliba |
7.9/10 |
|
CB: Gabriel |
7.7/10 |
|
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly |
6.2/10 |
|
CM: Martin Ødegaard |
9.3/10 |
|
CM: Thomas Partey |
6.4/10 |
|
CM: Declan Rice |
7.9/10 |
|
RW: Ethan Nwaneri |
7.8/10 |
|
ST: Mikel Merino |
8.6/10 |
|
LW: Leandro Trossard |
8.4/10 |
|
SUB: Riccardo Calafiori (35′ for Lewis-Skelly) |
8.6/10 |
|
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (71′ for Partey) |
6.3/10 |
|
SUB: Raheem Sterling (71′ for Nwaneri) |
5.9/10 |
|
SUB: Ben White (76′ for Merino) |
5.9/10 |
|
SUB: Kieran Tierney (76′ for Timber) |
6.6/10 |
