Arsenal fell to defeat against PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, after a difficult night at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal were greeted with an electric atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, with fans taking on Mikel Arteta’s message to turn up early and live every moment with the team.
They didn’t get off to the greatest start, though, with Ousmane Dembele finding the back of the net with a neat finish just three minutes into the clash.
Mikel Merino thought he equalised for Arsenal early in the second half, only to be denied by VAR ruling it out for offside.
While Arsenal huffed and puffed, they were unable to break down a stubborn PSG side, with a turnaround needed in Paris next week.
So with that said, here’s a look at the player ratings from Arsenal’s clash with PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Arsenal player ratings vs PSG
David Raya – 7
Through no fault of his own, David Raya saw his clean sheet wiped out within just three minutes, with little he could do to deny Ousmane Dembele’s fantastic strike.
The goalkeeper went on to make an impressive stop in the first half to keep the score at just 1-0, denying Fabian Ruiz from close range.
On the ball, Raya was a consistent outlet from which to play out, allowing his team to start attacks.
Jurrien Timber – 4
A very, very difficult evening for Jurrien Timber, who had one of his poorer performances at Arsenal on the night.
The full-back was far too narrow for the goal, giving Kvicha Kvaratskhelia the time and space to pick out Ousmane Dembele to open the scoring.
Timber found it difficult dealing with the PSG stars, repeatedly giving away fouls that broke up the play for the visitors.
He later came off injured late in the game, with a slight problem plaguing him.
William Saliba – 6
William Saliba made an impact with his defending, making a huge interception to deny Achraf Hakimi just yards from the goal.
The last-ditch effort displayed exactly what the Frenchman is capable of, keeping his team in the tie.
Jakub Kiwior – 6
Another quietly solid night from Jakub Kiwior, who showed once again that he is more than capable as a replacement in the backline.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7
In a game where Arsenal struggled to keep hold of the ball from the PSG press, Myles Lewis-Skelly looked mature and confident once again.
The 18-year-old consistently won fouls for his team to help get them up the pitch, looking impressive when driving up the field.
Declan Rice – 5
It wasn’t Declan Rice’s best game off the ball, being dragged out of position early on to allow Ousmane Dembele a strike at goal to give PSG the lead.
There were some flashes of quality on the ball, playing a lovely through ball to Martinelli for one opportunity, as well as a delightful delivery for a free-kick goal that was later ruled out.
Mikel Merino – 5
Starting in midfield, Mikel Merino had a tough game, and so did Arsenal without him in the centre-forward position.
The Spaniard thought he had scored a header early in the second half, only for it to be ruled out by VAR for offside.
Martin Odegaard – 4
A bit of a tough night for Martin Odegaard, who wasn’t able to find that magic moment on the ball to bring Arsenal back into the game.
Bukayo Saka – 7
Arsenal’s biggest threat in the game, Bukayo Saka, caused plenty of problems for Nuno Mendes on the wing and created plenty of opportunities.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6
A threatening presence at times, Gabriel Martinelli will be disappointed not to walk away with a goal for his performance.
The Brazilian went through on goal, but was unable to apply the finishing touch that was so desperately needed.
Leandro Trossard – 6
Leandro Trossard started as a striker for Arsenal and looked bright in some of his hold-up play and linking with the rest of his team.
The Belgian international did, however, put down a big chance to score when put through one-on-one.
Substitutes
Ben White – N/A
With ten minutes to go in the game, Arteta called upon Ben White to replace Timber, who was struggling with injury issues.
The defender had very little to do in the minutes he received.
Ethan Nwaneri – N/A
Coming on in stoppage time, Ethan Nwaneri was asked to change the game but had very little time to do so.
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