Arsenal player ratings vs PSV: Nwaneri, Rice and Odegaard superb in stunning 7-1 win
Arsenal took a giant step towards the Champions League quarter-finals with a stunning 7-1 win at PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night.
All the talk going into the first leg of this last 16 tie was about where the goals were going to come from for Arsenal after they had failed to find the target in three of their last four games, but that narrative was quickly silenced as Mikel Arteta’s side flew out of the blocks.
Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino struck to put the Gunners 3-0 up after just 31 minutes, but PSV did pull one back through Noa Lang’s penalty just before the interval.
Any hopes of a second half comeback from the hosts were quickly put to bed, however, when both Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard scored within two minutes of the restart.
Odegaard then added a sixth before Riccardo Calafiori completed a remarkable night for the visitors when he struck late on as Arsenal became the first away team in Champions League history to score seven goals in the knockout rounds.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya: Didn’t have too much to do in terms of saves, rooted to the spot for Lang’s penalty. Dealt with PSV’s crosses well and always looked to get Arsenal moving quickly. 7
Jurrien Timber: Towering header to give Arsenal the lead. Excellent all round performance. 8
William Saliba: Solid as always, but kept on his toes by the powerful de Jong. 7
Gabriel Magalhaes: Similar to Saliba. Strong as always, but PSV’s attack did cause problems when they broke. 7
Myles Lewis-Skelly: Very fortunate to stay on the pitch when he could easily have been given a second yellow. Replaced after just 35 minutes, but played well while he was on the pitch. Great assist for Nwaneri’s goal while he was on the pitch. 6
Thomas Partey: Silly challenge to give away the penalty just before half-time. Kept the ball moving well. 7
Declan Rice: Strong display. Excellent play to set up Timber for the opener. Constantly drove forward to support the attack. 8
Martin Odegaard: Crucial goal at the start of the second half to reinsert Arsenal’s dominance. Added another before full-time and also set up Calafiori’s goal with a wonderful pass late on. Excellent. 8
Ethan Nwaneri: Another superb performance. Powerful strike to make it 2-0. Caused PSV problems all night with his running. 8
Mikel Merino: Lovely finish to scored Arsenal’s third. Worked really hard in the central striker’s role. 7
Leandro Trossard: One of his best performances of the season. Involved in the first two goals and scored the finish brilliantly. 8
Substitutes
Riccardo Calafiori: Replaced Lewis-Skelly early on and performed well. Set up Trossard’s goal nicely and then scored a beauty to make it 7-1. 8
Oleksandr Zinchenko: Unlucky not to score when his volley was saved. 6
Ben White: On for 15 valuable minutes as he continues to get back to full fitness. 6
Kieran Tierney: Good cameo. Set up Zinchenko’s chance. 6