It was a stroll in the park for Mikel Arteta's men as they demolished their Dutch hosts in Eindhoven on Tuesday
Arsenal are all but through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League as they trounced PSV 7-1 on Tuesday. Mikel Arteta's men made easy work of their Dutch hosts in the first leg of the last-16 tie, only giving away a goal through a penalty late in the first half.
PSV posed an early threat when Ismael Saibari smacked the bar at the end of a counter-attack, but Arsenal responded quickly, working the ball into the box for Declan Rice to lob it towards the back post where Jurrien Timber was perfectly placed to nod in from close range.
Before long, it was 2-0 and Arsenal were cruising. A smart Gunners move ended with a dangerous Myles Lewis-Skelly ball into the box for Ethan Nwaneri to blast in.
They were gifted the third goal. PSV appeared to have snuffed out an attack, but Ryan Flamingo went down out of nowhere and Mikel Merino pounced on it, quickly tucking it past goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
PSV were given a lifeline when Thomas Partey hooked Luuk de Jong in the box, and Noa Lang comfortably converted, but just as soon as the second half had begun, Nwaneri's low cross caught out Benitez, and Odegaard was there to feed on the scraps to make it 4-1.
Within seconds, Arsenal had a fifth. This time, substitute Riccardo Calafiori poking it through to Leandro Trossard for a simple finish. Then, Odegaard took on a pass from Merino and burst forward before firing in, and in the last five minutes, Calafiori popped up with a striker's finish after a fine ball from Odegaard.
For all the criticism the Gunners have faced for not signing a striker in January, they are the first team to score seven or more away goals in a Champions League knockout match.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Philips Stadion…
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David Raya (6/10):
Only had one save to make and had a shaky moment late on.
Jurrien Timber (8/10):
Perfectly placed to nod in the opener and did an excellent job defensively.
William Saliba (7/10):
Swept up comfortably when PSV looked capable of breaking through.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):
Won everything in the air and was barely troubled.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10):
Teed up Nwaneri's goal but went off after 35 minutes after narrowly escaping a second yellow card.
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Martin Odegaard (9/10):
The game passed him by in the first half, but the second belonged to him! Two fine goals and a lovely assist.
Thomas Partey (5/10):
Gave away the penalty and was quiet otherwise.
Declan Rice (8/10):
Great cross for the opener, ran tirelessly up and down the field.
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Ethan Nwaneri (8/10):
Got the second goal and was relentless in his search for another. PSV couldn't handle him.
Mikel Merino (8/10):
Plucked his team's third out of nowhere and was always open for a pass. Got the assist for Odegaard's second.
Leandro Trossard (7/10):
Took his goal well and created a few chances.
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Riccardo Calafiori (8/10):
Fed Trossard through for the fifth and looked solid. Great run and finish for the seventh!
Raheem Sterling (5/10):
Not much of an impact.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (6/10):
Slotted into the midfield well.
Kieran Tierney (5/10):
Only had a few touches.
Ben White (5/10):
Didn't have much of a chance.
Mikel Arteta (8/10):
Must be delighted with the way his team tore apart their hosts. Everyone got in on the fun and they will be sure of a place in the next round.
