Mikel Arteta loved every minute of it, as Arsenal arrived in the Netherlands ready to break out of a goal slump, and Mikel Arteta saw his Gunners tune up PSV Eindhoven to the tune of a 7-1 win in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Martin Odegaard bagged a brace and was joined on the score sheet by Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard, and Mikel Merino, as Arsenal used these 90 minutes to match their February goal total from five matches.
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The Gunners conceded a penalty late in the first half, as Noa Lang’s goal from the spot was one of the few times the hosts troubled their Premier League visitors.
Arsenal were clinical, as their shot advantage was merely 15-12 and PSV kept 53% possession. There was a flash point as Myles Lews-Skelly was fortunate to dodge a second yellow card for a poorly-timed challenge midway through the first half.
Mikel Arteta reaction — What did Arsenal boss say after Gunners erupt for five in Champions League first leg?
“This is football. So in football, you keep working, put your head down, be humble, and do what you have to do. In some moment you’ll get your reward. That’s the beauty of it. No one can write what’s going to happen. The players are so willing and I’m really happy for them.”
Can this be a springboard? “That’s what we want. At the end its a thing of execution, today we were exceptional. Willingness is for sure going to be there.”
On Martin Odegaard’s brilliant game: “When he plays with that energy and that flow, he’s a player that makes a difference in a big game like that.”
Is this a big moment? “Well it’s very significant but it is just to put yourself in a position, to put landmarks. We have to make it to a very different level. This team has done a lot that others have not done in many years.”
“It’s a massive result away from home in a competition that we love, that we miss for so many years. Today is a really special night for us.”
On Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly: “To be doing what they are doing at 17 and 18 shows incredible maturity. They are doing that because the other players support them and make them better. They have a lot of courage. Myles makes an assist, that’s the team that I want to see, they take initiative and they want to make things happen.”
