Arsenal put on a stunning performance in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, demolishing PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the Netherlands.
The commanding victory has all but secured their place in the quarter-finals of the prestigious competition.
The match started with a near miss for PSV as Ismael Saibari struck the crossbar early on.
However, it didn’t take long for Arsenal to assert their dominance. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and just three minutes later, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead, finishing powerfully after a clever cutback from Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Although Lewis-Skelly had already been booked, he was fortunate to stay on the pitch when he fouled Ledezma shortly after.
Mikel Arteta decided to replace him with Riccardo Calafiori just before the end of the first half.
Mikel Merino then extended Arsenal’s advantage, capitalizing on a defensive mix-up. PSV responded with a penalty when Thomas Partey fouled Luuk De Jong, allowing Noa Lang to score from the spot. At halftime, the score stood at 3-1 in favor of the Gunners.
Arsenal came out firing in the second half, effectively ending any hopes of a PSV comeback. Martin Odegaard made it 4-1 with a close-range strike after Benitez pushed a cross into the danger area.
Substitute Calafiori then linked up well with Leandro Trossard, whose chipped finish over Benitez secured Arsenal’s fifth goal just one minute later.
Odegaard added another to his tally with a stunning individual effort, and late on, Calafiori rounded off the dominant display by scoring Arsenal’s seventh goal.
Arsenal’s ruthless performance showcased both their attacking prowess and defensive resilience, making them strong favorites to progress to the quarter-finals.
