Arsenal have more than one foot in the Champions League quarter-final as the Gunners left PSV Eindhoven stunned.
The first leg of the Champions League round of 16 exceeded expectations as Arsenal beat PSV 7-1 at the Philips Stadion.
Mikel Arteta saw six different goalscorers direct the Gunners to a statement win in the Netherlands, setting the return fixture at the Emirates up well.
On a record-matching night for Arsenal in the Champions League, Ethan Nwaneri and Martin Odegaard earned the highest praise but, it wasn’t a wholly enjoyable night for everyone involved.
- READ MORE: Forget Odegaard and Nwaneri, Dutch media thought one Arsenal star was ‘almost perfect’ in PSV win
Ian Wright applauds Mikel Arteta’s handling of Myles Lewis-Skelly
Nwaneri made Champions League history by lining up as the third-youngest English starter in the competition’s knockout phases.
The average age of Arsenal’s squad was lowered by the 17-year-old’s inclusion, as well as Myles Lewis-Skelly’s start at left-back.
While it started as an extraordinary night for the Hale End duo, who combined for Arsenal’s second goal, things went downhill quickly.
Arsenal fans were concerned about Lewis-Skelly’s discipline after the Englishman was booked in the first half and didn’t appear to be fazed by the caution.
Such resulted in Arteta hooking the 18-year-old just after the half-hour mark to ensure he didn’t earn his third sending-off of the season.
Though the teenager’s night was cut short, Ian Wright believed it was a ‘brilliant’ situation for the youngster to experience, praising Arteta for taking the defender off prematurely.
“This is all a brilliant learning curve for him because he’s got to understand when he can and when he can’t do certain things because you will miss games,” Wright said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
“You will get taken off and you will get two yellow cards in these games. So I think it’s a brilliant learning curve for us to do that in a game where we end up winning 7-1.”
Arteta had no option but to take the left-back off as the teen was walking a tightrope, with Chris Sutton adamant that Lewis-Skelly should’ve seen red.
Arteta taught Lewis-Skelly a valuable lesson
As a talent navigating his way through his breakthrough season, Lewis-Skelly needs some guidance from Arteta.
Against PSV, the teenager was taught how to best manage his discipline on a yellow card, which was to push his luck and then be removed from the game.
Arteta was bold in his decision, which paid off for Arsenal and fortunately, can be regarded as a learning curve for Lewis-Skelly rather than another suspension.
The 18-year-old will be eager to wisen up the control in his tackles to avoid such scenario again in the future, in what was a wise move from the Arsenal boss.
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