Arsenal delivered a Champions League performance for the ages on Tuesday night as they destroyed a strong Sporting CP outfit on their own patch.
The Gunners went to the home of the Primeira Liga leaders, who had not lost a game all season and were undefeated at home in over a year, and ran out 5-1 winners.
Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring for Arsenal in the seventh minute before Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes made it 3-0 before the first half was even over.
Sporting pulled one back through Goncalo Inacio early in the second half, but Bukayo Saka’s penalty and Leandro Trossard’s late strike ensured a crushing win for the Gunners.
TBR Football looks at Arsenal’s five biggest ever Champions League wins, and where the victory over Sporting ranks among them.
Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between ...
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Arsenal have recorded five Champions League wins by five goals or more
Opponent Score Season
Slavia Prague 7-0 2007/08
Lens 6-0 2023/24
Ludogorets 6-0 2016/17
Braga 6-0 2010/11
Porto 5-0 2009/10
Inter Milan 5-1 2003/04
Rosenborg 5-1 2004/05
Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 2010/11
Sporting CP 5-1 2024/25
Arsenal’s biggest Champions League victory to date is the 7-0 home thrashing of Czech outfit Slavia Prague in the group stages of the 2007/08 campaign on 23 October 2007.
On that day, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott scored a brace apiece, with Aleksandr Hleb, Nicklas Bendtner and a David Hubacek own goal rounding off the scoring.
Joint-second on the list is Arsenal’s 6-0 hammering of French side Lens at the Emirates Stadium on 29 November 2023.
Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard all helped themselves to a goal, with Jorginho rounding off the scoring from the penalty spot.
Arsenal also recorded 6-0 wins over Bulgaria’s Ludogorets and Portugal’s Braga in the 2016/17 and 2010/11 campaign respectively.
In 2008, Arsenal recorded their biggest-ever European victory over Slavia Prague 🍿
5' ⚽️ Fabregas
24' ⚽️ Hubáček OG
41' ⚽️ Walcott
51' ⚽️ Hleb
55' ⚽️ Walcott
58' ⚽️ Fabregas
89' ⚽️ Bendtner
The Gunners need another BIG performance tonight! pic.twitter.com/44ozxhiNUn
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 15, 2021
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Mesut Ozil grabbed a hat-trick against Ludogorets on 19 October 2016, while Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored one apiece.
Arsenal’s 6-0 win over Braga, meanwhile, came on 15 September 2010. Cesc Fabregas and Carlos Vela scored braces, with Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh also netting.
Fifth on the list is Arsenal’s third-best Champions League win, a 5-0 thrashing of Porto on 9 March 2010.
Nicklas Bendtner scored a hat-trick on that day, while Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue also got on the scoresheet.
Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Sporting is matched by triumphs by the same scoreline over Inter Milan (2003/04), Rosenborg (2004/05) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2010/11).
The last time Arsenal faced Porto in the #UCL at the Emirates…
Nicklas Bendtner scored a hat-trick and Emmanuel Eboué got on the scoresheet as the Gunners won 5-0! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/qvjZoAfrTz
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 11, 2024
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Arsenal’s best European campaigns
Arsenal have won two European honours, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
The Gunners also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2000 and the Europa League in 2019.
In addition, Arsenal became the first London team to appear in a Champions League final, in 2006.
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