Seven Champions League Records Arsenal Shattered With 7-1 Win Over PSV
Arsenal produced a stunning performance to record a record-breaking 7-1 win over PSV in the first leg of their Champions League second-round clash at the Philip Stadium in Holland.
The Gunners scored three quick-fire goals in the first half courtesy of Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, and Mikel Merino before Lang scored from the spot for PSV to make it 3-1.
Arteta’s team produced arguably their best performance of the season, scoring four goals in the second half to put the hosts to the sword.
Two minutes after the restart, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard scored two quick-fire goals in the 47th minute and 48th minute, respectively, to set the tone for a goal fest in the second period.
Captain Odegaard completed his brace with a superb individual effort before substitute Riccardo Calafiori added the seventh goal five minutes to the end of the game.
It was a record-breaking night for Arsenal as they shattered different records in the encounter.
The Gunners are the first side in the history of the Champions League to score seven goals away from home in the knockout stages of the competition.
They are also the first team in Champions League history to have six different scorers (excluding own goals) in an away knockout stage game.
It was the most goals Arsenal have scored in a single game since beating Newcastle 7-3 in the Premier League 13 years ago.
Arteta’s men have also won five successive Champions League games in a single edition of the tournament for the first time since the 05/06 season with victories over Sporting Lisbon, Monaco, Dinamo Zagreb, Girona, and PSV.
Arsenal’s 17-year-old prodigy, Ethan Nwaneri, was impressive in the encounter with a powerful effort and a mature overall performance, which belied his age.
He became just the third English player to start in a knockout stage game of the Champions League while under the age of 18, after Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
The club’s academy graduate is also the second-youngest Arsenal player to play in a Champions League knockout stage game (17y 348d), after Cesc Fàbregas against Bayern Munich in March 2005 (17y 309d).
Nwaneri is also the third-youngest Champions League knockout goalscorer behind Bojan Krkić and Jude Bellingham.
He has scored two goals in two Champions League starts for Arsenal this season, taking his tally to eight goals in all competitions in his first season.
Mikel Arteta was full of praise for the young star, who has been tasked with the big task of replacing Bukayo Saka.
He said, “I’m really impressed with the way he behaved and the way he played. It’s about consistency and now doing it again three days later in another big stadium.
“I don’t think that he needs any pushing. You see every time what the intention is, If it comes, it comes and it’s great.”
The Spanish manager hailed the team’s performance, describing it as a beautiful night.
He said: “It was a beautiful night. The players really made us enjoy the night. It was a big game obviously, in the Champions League, in the knockout stage and to play with the flow, to score the goals we did and in the manner that we won the game—very, very impressive.
“We talked about stepping up to the occasion and when it comes to this moment, you have to elevate your level.
“You really have to play with a lot of initiative and when we talk about initiative, getting players in the positions that players are in, a full-back putting an assist for Myles [Lewis-Skelly], Jurrien [Timber] scoring a goal, Calafiori making a run and scoring with the right foot, that’s the team that we want to see and they’re a phenomenal team.”
The second leg is slated for March 12 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have a date with struggling Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, and they will be hoping to repeat the performance against PSV in order to put pressure on table-toppers Liverpool.
Seven Champions League Records Arsenal Shattered With 7-1 Win Over PSV is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
