Arsenal secured three points in the Champions League with an impressive win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates.
It was a magical night in N5 for the Gunners in the Champions League as Mikel Arteta oversaw a 2-0 win against PSG.
Luis Enrique’s side arrived full of confidence due to their unbeaten start to the season however, their record was left in tatters by Arsenal.
First half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka led the hosts to the win, in what was an incredibly mature display from Arteta’s Premier League title hopefuls.
Five things you might have missed from Arsenal win vs PSG
Arteta will be thrilled with his side’s performance against PSG, who were tactically outclassed by the Gunners at the Emirates.
It was a display to celebrate for the hosts, who reminded other Champions League hopefuls of their pedigree this season.
The most important thing was that Arsenal got the win after only managing to take a point from Atalanta in the opening fixture of the tournament.
Here are five things you might have missed from Arsenal’s victory over PSG.
Riccardo Calafiori records career first
At half-time, Jurrien Timber came off to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior, seeing the Poland international take the left-back role and Riccardo Calafiori take the right side.
For the first time in his senior domestic career, the Italian was utilised at right-back, having arrived in the summer after excelling at Bologna as a left-sided defender.
The 22-year-old’s performance level certainly dipped when his position was changed by Arteta, as the 2024 signing was excelling in the first half when operating on his favoured left.
Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard’s partnership
Havertz opened the scoring in the 20th minute of play however, PSG were sent plenty of warning signs before the German netted the opener.
A partnership between Leandro Trossard and the Arsenal striker was brewing early into the fixture, with the visitors unable to spot the signs.
Arteta will be encouraged by what he saw between his two attackers, who were almost unplayable against PSG.
- READ MORE: Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard spotted doing one thing before combining for Arsenal opener vs PSG
Declan Rice returned to his favoured position
It was a night of firsts, not only because of Calafiori’s positioning but as Mikel Merino made his Arsenal debut after arriving in the summer.
The Spaniard had been injured prior to the win over PSG, finally getting on the pitch for the first time in red and white.
What was noticed immediately after the 28-year-old’s introduction was the position change of Declan Rice, who was able to return to his favoured number six role.
It’s expected that Merino’s availability will allow Rice to revert to playing deeper in midfield, where he so frequently thrived for Arsenal last season.
Invincibles and surprise figure in attendance
Away from the action on the pitch was movement in the stands at the Emirates, with several familiar faces in attendance.
Invincibles duo Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires watched on alongside Ian Wright, with a particularly surprising figure also in North London.
Alongside Josh Kroenke was the infamous Stan Kroenke, who returned to the Emirates in a brighter light for the fixture against PSG, with the Gunners’ recent improvement certainly assisting his reputation.
Mikel Arteta achieves Arsenal first in the Champions League
By beating PSG in the Champions League, Arteta became the first Arsenal manager to get the better of the Parisians in the tournament in the club’s history.
Before the game, Arsenal’s last win over PSG came back in 1994 during a 1-0 win in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, with Arteta adding to the head-to-head record with another win 30 years later.
The Spaniard got the better of Enrique all over the pitch tactically, as Arsenal flexed their progression on the big stage.
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