Arsenal arrived in Eindhoven with a problem: two Serie of goalless games on the bounce. The pair went out with a record 7-1 win. If that’s a crisis, every club in Europe would instantly want one. This was not anything close to an ordinary win; this was a footie feast and everyone gets a plate and seconds.
Mikel Arteta’s side became the first team in Champions League history to score seven goals away from home in a knockout stage match. Yes, SEVEN. More than the number of times my WiFi disconnects during a Zoom call. It had been two competitive games without a goal for the Gunners, so it appeared to decide to take it all out on PSV. And boy, did they.
The Secret? Everyone Scored (Almost)
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were missing as Arsenal’s usual suspects. However, six different players scored. Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori also found the net. If this had been a family dinner, PSV would be paying the bill after that, as everyone had brought something.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton summed it up best.
Some of the combination play in the final third was sensational, and Arsenal finished ruthlessly.
Ruthless? Sensational? Even Pep Guardiola will sweat if they play like this each week.
Arsenal’s Defense: A Wall Tougher Than Your Gym Instructor
Let’s turn to that Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba partnership. Arsenal were running riot up front and their centre-backs were the solid to the vault that they were. PSV barely had a chance to breathe, never mind having any hope of a comeback.
And in this instance, it certainly was: Arsenal were full of enthusiasm, drive and hunger, as Declan Rice summed up almost perfectly, although his stat seems too much of a sports documentary tagline to be real: Arsenal had a goal disallowed for being offside.
Rice added: ‘We’ve been playing very well, all the way through now, all season.’ “We have been scoring five, two, or none sometimes.” But today, it all clicked.”
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