We beat PSV Eindhoven in a rabid atmosphere at Emirates Stadium to celebrate our return to the Champions League.
With goals from our front three of Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, we were three goals ahead of our opponents at the interval as we continued to match the weather.
After the restart, we were able to achieve the result that was appropriate for the occasion and our performance, thanks to a trademark finish from our captain Martin Odegaard.
We spent little time reestablishing ourselves in the competition after a six-year break as we started out well and quickly acquired a substantial lead.
Odegaard was given too much time and space to line up a shot, and when Walter Benitez parried it, the England international was there to easily slip the rebound into the bottom corner to score his first European goal at Emirates Stadium. The goal came just eight minutes into the game.
Jesus came within a stud’s length of converting a Ben White cross moments later, and on minute 18, Benitez fumbled another low Odegaard attempt due to the wet conditions, but this time the Argentine goalkeeper nearly recovered.
We beat PSV Eindhoven in a rabid atmosphere at Emirates Stadium to celebrate our return to the Champions League.
However, he was plucking the ball out of his net once more 60 seconds later. When the visitor defense hesitated, Jesus pounced on it to spring a counterattack and find Saka, who was once more given time to inch closer to the box. Saka’s error was punished when he slid a pass for Trossard to shoot past Benitez and score in back-to-back games. Grabs a third is Gabby.
Jesus twice forced the PSV goalkeeper to make saves in the span of a minute. First, he drove the ball at the shot-stopper from an angle. Then, after some deft footwork gave him a look at goal, he fired a shot that was well tipped over and was headed over by Gabriel from the ensuing corner.
Only a failed Johan Bakayoko shot and an Armel Bella-Kotchap header from a corner caused any sort of concern for the visitors, who were in need of a response, but Peter Bosz saw his team’s chances of getting a result decrease further on 38 minutes when the third goal was scored.
Arsenal defeated PSV Eindhoven 4-0. Grabs a third is Gabby.
Jesus twice forced the PSV goalkeeper to make saves in the span of a minute. First, he drove the ball at the shot-stopper from an angle. Then, after some deft footwork gave him a look at goal, he fired a shot that was well tipped over and was headed over by Gabriel from the ensuing corner.
Only a failed Johan Bakayoko shot and an Armel Bella-Kotchap header from a corner caused any sort of concern for the visitors, who were in need of a response, but Peter Bosz saw his team’s chances of getting a result decrease further on 38 minutes when the third goal was scored.
Once again given plenty of room to choose his place and execute flawlessly from 20 yards, Odegaard scored the goal his effort deserved after the ball passed through substitutes Emile Smith Rowe and Nelson after Havertz made a mistake.
David Raya was hardly ever required to intervene as we continued to control the game. Despite the fact that we were unable to increase our lead in the closing 20 minutes, Mikel Arteta will always remember his successful managerial debut in the Champions League.
Facts and figures
We became just the seventh team to have as many as four players score in their club’s Champions League debut in the same game with Saka, Trossard, Jesus, and Odegaard.
In his eleventh such game, Saka scored his first goal in a European competition at the Emirates.
For the first time since our victory against Galatasaray in December 2014, we scored three goals in the opening period of a Champions League game.
Since the beginning of last season, only Kevin De Bruyne (7) has scored more goals from beyond the box for Premier League clubs. Odegaard’s total is four. Next steps
On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur will play in its first derby match of the season in north London. Following that, on Wednesday, when we go to Brentford for our Carabao Cup third-round match, the focus will shift to the Premier League.