Eindhoven, Netherlands – Crisis, what crisis? Arsenal arrived in Eindhoven uncertain of the place where their goals would come, but they leave after defeating the PSV 7-1 to record the greatest victory outside the history of the Knockout of the Champions League.
Not bad for a team without an attacker about who to call. With a midfielder Mikel Merino By playing again in the middle, the Gunners have overcome their recent attack gaps with a ruthless devastating performance which can have a transformative effect on their confidence for the biggest challenges to come.
“It obviously gave us a lot of joy, confidence and belief,” said manager Mikel Arteta. “In football, this is not what we did three days ago or today, it will be what we will do tomorrow. We are going to Old Trafford (Sunday), so this is how we comply, how we play and are able to win a match.
“That’s it, enjoy this evening because it was a very impressive performance and an incredible score. We deserve it and I will take it and continue to improve as a team.”
It must be said that the PSV was absolutely miserable. Although it is a confrontation of the Champions-16 League, confrontation of the first stage, some fans began to get out of the Philips Stadion three minutes after the start of the second half after Leandro Trossard took advantage of the defense even more eccentric to sting in the fifth goal of Arsenal.
This is a team that has conceded 29 goals in 14 games since the beginning of 2025 and whose head coach, Peter Bosz, undergoes mounting pressure to bring more balance to their game. He will surely continue this conversation in Eredivisia alone since no team in the history of the Champions League has never recovered from such a hammer.
In fact, the PSV had never conceded more than four home goals in a European match in 112 years of history until Tuesday. The return game for next Wednesday at the Emirates Stadium is now a simple formality and an opportunity to relax and experiment rather than approach with apprehension and risk.
Jurrie suggested that this game was an opportunity for Arsenal to “change the story” around the club like the absences of Kai Havertz,, Gabriel Jesus,, Gabriel Theminies And Bukayo of Combined to reduce their chances of the first league title to the longest shots long while they are based 13 points at Liverpool.
The comic attempt of the PSV to make this competition a competition is slightly enthusiastic, but nevertheless, it is a declaration victory which is a positive reference point that these players can remember when doubts make surface on the power without their line before in the first choice.
The five -day carnival of Eindhoven, which encourages residents to wear disguises, took place in the city with the last day on Tuesday – and Arsenal made sure that the party ended on time. In fact, the atmosphere of vibrating prematch and careful optimism essentially evaporated after 21 minutes while the wood was heading in the opening to the rear post and Ethan Nwaneri shaken in a beautiful second of Myles Lewis-Skellycross.
Arsenal had to be wary. Lewis-Skelly had the chance not to be sent shortly after when he followed a reservation with a late challenge on Richard Lenzma. A few moments later, Merino put visitors 3-0 – after Ryan Flamingo ended up falling rather than cleaning the ball – and Arteta withdrew Lewis -Skelly for Riccardo Calafuri With the game, 38 minutes.
Thomas Partey has briefly threatened to complicate the evening by unnecessarily dirty Luuk de Jong in the box for a penalty that Noa Lang converted.
But any attempted PSV to rally in the second half collapsed in three minutes while Martin Ødegaard and Trossard got engaged before Ødegaard added a sixth and Calafiori produced an attacker finish with the seventh of Arsenal on a small right foot after a pass after a kick in front of a kick after the past after Walter Benz To end the rout.
“It’s very important, but it’s just to put you in a very strong position to go to the next round,” said Arteta. “That’s it; that’s reality. To put monuments, we must really arrive at a very different level.
“But obviously, this team has done a lot of things that have not been done for several years or in the history of the club. Which means a lot, but that is not what we want.”
Ødegaard reached both the space that had offered him and voluntary runners ahead of him, with Nwaneri – the second arsenal player to appear in a direct elimination match of the Champions League after Cesc Fabregas – taking this occasion with remarkable calm for a 17 -year -old.
Nwaneri could still break the record held by Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen for the goals scored by a player under 18. The two legends of England have marked nine times, and Nwaneri is now held on eight with his anniversary marking on March 21. He will be among the despair to play the PSV again on these evidence.
“I don’t think he needs to push – you see every time he has a goal, what’s the intention,” said Arteta. “If that (the disc) comes, it comes and it’s great. I am really impressed by the way he behaved and the way he played this evening. It is consistency and to redo it three days later in another big stadium.”
Arteta also said that there was “still a job to do in London” – which only extends to the implementation – but in truth, he can now plan Sunday’s trip to Manchester United, safely in the knowledge of nothing and no one needs to remember for the PSV visit.
The link therefore offers both a restful impact and now a moment of respite in a run-in which will be relentless after the international break later this month.
More difficult matches than PSV await – their equality in the quarter -final will be against Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid – but Arsenal can now approach them with more hope.
