Arsenal served up a stunning 7-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie on Tuesday, a result that marks their biggest win in Europe in recent years.
The Gunners were in scintillating form, easily dismantling PSV’s defense and leaving the Dutch champions utterly humiliated at the Philips Stadion.
The match got off to an intense start with Arsenal immediately asserting their dominance. A powerful shot from Declan Rice in the 11th minute, which found the back of the net, was ruled out for a marginal offside, but it was clear that Mikel Arteta’s side meant business.
PSV, despite their strong start to the competition, struggled to cope with the high pressing game of the Premier League giants.
The hosts should have taken the lead in the 15th minute when Ismael Saibari, one-on-one with goalkeeper David Raya, somehow hit the crossbar from close range, a miss that would come back to haunt them. Just moments later, Arsenal took full advantage of the missed opportunity, with Rice involved again.
The English midfielder, afforded far too much space in the box, lofted a delightful cross to the far post, where Jurrien Timber, Arsenal’s own flying Dutchman, rose to head the ball into the net to give the visitors the lead.
PSV’s defense continued to implode as the Gunners doubled their advantage just six minutes later. Myles Lewis-Skelly, the 18-year-old prodigy, found acres of space on the right wing and squared a perfect ball to fellow teenager Ethan Nwaneri. With ice in his veins, Nwaneri expertly smashed the ball into the top corner of Walter Benitez’s net, leaving the home crowd in stunned silence.
The first half turned into a nightmare for the Dutch side, who were completely undone by Arsenal’s free-flowing attack. In the 33rd minute, PSV failed to clear the ball from their box after four separate attempts, and the ball eventually fell to Mikel Merino, who calmly rolled the ball past Benitez, making it 3-0 to Arsenal.
Despite being outclassed, PSV managed to grab a lifeline just before the break. A reckless challenge by Thomas Partey on PSV’s striker, Luuk de Jong, in the box gave the hosts a penalty. Noa Lang made no mistake from the spot, confidently smashing the ball into the top corner to reduce the deficit to 3-1 at halftime.
PSV’s hopes of mounting a comeback were dashed just minutes into the second half. Nwaneri, continuing to impress, broke down the right wing and sent in a dangerous cross that Benitez could only palm into the path of Martin Ødegaard. The Norwegian midfielder was quick to react and scored Arsenal’s fourth goal in the 47th minute.
Arsenal’s superiority only became more apparent as the game went on. In the 50th minute, Riccardo Calafiori, who had been a constant threat down the left wing, darted past the shaky PSV defense and delivered a perfect ball to Leandro Trossard. The Belgian striker made no mistake, effortlessly lifting the ball over Benitez to make it 5-1.
Ødegaard, who had been pulling the strings all evening, grabbed his second goal of the night in the 55th minute. With no pressure from the defense, Ødegaard surged forward, unchallenged, and let fly with a shot that was parried weakly by Benitez, only to rebound straight into the goalkeeper’s net, making it 6-1.
As PSV’s defense completely capitulated, Calafiori added his name to the scoresheet in the 86th minute, taking full advantage of the disarray in the PSV defense. The left-back slotted home with ease, bringing the final tally to 7-1.
This stunning goal broke the previous record for PSV’s biggest European loss, surpassing their humiliating 6-0 defeat to Saint-Étienne in the 1980 UEFA Cup.
It was a bitterly disappointing night for PSV and their supporters, who had watched their team crumble under the weight of Arsenal’s relentless attack.
With many of the home fans leaving the stadium in droves before the final whistle, it was clear that the tie was as good as over. PSV, the 1988 European Cup finalists, had no answers to Arsenal’s superior play.
For Arsenal, it was a display of attacking brilliance, with the youthful talents of Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri shining on the big stage. The Gunners now head back to North London with a commanding 7-1 lead, putting them in an almost unassailable position for the second leg at the Emirates.
Looking ahead, the winner of the tie between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid awaits in the quarter-finals, with Arsenal already looking like serious contenders for the European crown. It’s a far cry from the struggles of previous years, and Arteta’s men are now on the verge of making a statement in Europe.
