Champions League
Champions League anthem brings a flurry of goals from Arsenal goalscorers after six years at Emirates Stadium
For the first time in six years, the Champions League anthem was played at the Emirates Stadium, after which Arsenal went on to win 4-0 against PSV Eindhoven. The Gunners’ motivation was evident from the first minute, as they did not let their Dutch opponents do anything and calmly strolled to victory.
For the first time in six years, the Champions League anthem was played at the Emirates Stadium, after which Arsenal went on to win 4-0 against PSV Eindhoven. The motivation of the Gunners was evident from the first minute, when they did not let their Dutch opponents do anything and calmly strolled to victory.
Arsenal would not allow any hesitation and set the pace from the start
If there were some who doubted Arsenal would look nervous as they made their first Champions League appearance in a long time, they were soon silenced. For the Canaries kept PSV at bay from the start.
Already in the eighth minute, Martin Odegaard shot from outside the box and the goalkeeper only parried his shot. Bukayo Saka ran into the open space and sent the home side into the lead.
Within twenty minutes the score was increased when this time the English talented midfielder found himself in a passing role and found Leandro Trossard in front of the whitewash. The Belgian sent a shot just wide of the post which Walter Martinez had no chance of reaching.
The English side confirmed their dominance at the end of the first half when Trossard found a free Gabriel Jesus in the whitewash, who had plenty of time to process and then hit a precise shot just wide of the post. Arsenal didn’t allow their opponents anything in the first half and went into the dressing rooms with a comfortable 3:0 lead.
The Gunners entered the second half at a calmer pace, they didn’t rush forward madly, because they had enough of a lead. And so PSV were the first to threaten. Johan Bakayoko broke free on the wing and fired, but David Raya easily caught his attempt.
After an hour of play, Arsenal’s next big chance came. Kai Havertz managed to find Jesus in front of the small area, but he didn’t aim accurately. His shot from the turn flew past the left post.
At half-time, coach Mikel Arteta was aware that his players were very likely to go for the win, so he wasn’t afraid to withdraw stars like Saka and Jesus, replacing them with players who don’t get much space. For example, Emile Smith Rowe was introduced to the fans after a long time.
In the 70th minute, the home side rushed into a quick counter-attack, with Odegaard on the end of it. The Canaries captain fired from his typical position behind the whitewash and headed accurately to the bar, increasing the already high lead. Assisted by Reiss Nelson.
Nothing serious happened for the rest of the game. Arsenal started their Champions League campaign well and after a 4-0 win, they claimed their first three points in the millionaire competition in more than six years. PSV have a lot of things to fix for next time, but they can improve their mood this weekend in the league, where they haven’t lost yet this season.
Source: Champions League