Arsenal delivered a stunning Champions League statement on Tuesday night, thrashing a helpless PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in their last-16 first-leg clash.
Mikel Arteta’s side were ruthless in front of goal, putting the Dutch champions to the sword in what became PSV’s worst-ever European defeat.
The Gunners started with intent, and though Declan Rice’s early strike was ruled out for offside, the floodgates soon opened. Jurrien Timber nodded in the opener after being picked out by Rice, before Arsenal’s teenage duo, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, combined brilliantly for the second.
A comedy of defensive errors gifted Arsenal a third, with Mikel Merino slotting home, but PSV found a lifeline before halftime when Noa Lang converted a penalty after Thomas Partey’s rash challenge.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly crushed after the break. Nwaneri’s driving run led to Martin Ødegaard tapping in Arsenal’s fourth, before Leandro Trossard added a stylish fifth. Ødegaard bagged another moments later as PSV’s defense completely unraveled, and Riccardo Calafiori sealed the historic rout in the dying minutes.
It was a night to forget for the former European champions, whose fans streamed out of the Philips Stadion long before the final whistle. Arsenal, meanwhile, take a commanding lead into the second leg, with a potential showdown against either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid on the horizon.
