Unlikely Arsenal star becomes the first person to achieve Champions League feat since Theirry Henry

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Thierry Henry was watching Arsenal’s win over PSV Eindhoven, but might have missed that one of his records was matched.

Mikel Arteta couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Champions League knockouts as Arsenal beat PSV 7-1 away from home. 

Though Peter Bosz thought the outcome could’ve been different, it was the Gunners who triumphed in the Netherlands, carrying a six-goal lead back to the Emirates for the second leg. 

Ethan Nwaneri made history again by starting and scoring in the round of 16 first leg but, it was an unlikely star who also wrote himself into Arsenal’s record books. 

• READ MORE: Five winners and one loser from Arsenal’s Champions League clash with PSV

Thierry Henry’s Champions League record matched by Riccardo Calafiori

When the game was won, Arsenal seemed to keep going, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring the Gunners’ seventh of the night in the 85th minute. 

The Italian started the evening on the bench but was called into action sooner than anticipated, as Myles Lewis-Skelly was hooked in the first half. 

There was concern that Lewis-Skelly could’ve been sent off, which was good news for Calafiori, who earned the chance to impress at left-back. 

The summer signing certainly impressed, contributing to two goals that subsequently wrote his name into Arsenal history. 

As data editor Harvey Downes noted, Calafiori became the second Arsenal player in history to score and assist in a Champions League game after coming off the bench. 

The first to do so was none other than Thierry Henry, seeing the defender rub shoulders with Arsenal’s record goalscorer in a feat unexpected of a left-back. 

Henry made history by scoring and assisting against AIK in the 1999/00 season, a match that Arsenal won in injury time.

Calafiori’s finishing ability is difficult to overlook

Arteta has flirted with the idea of playing Calafiori as a striker, with in-game experiments happening, seeing the Italian take up advanced roles.

The former Bologna star did just that against PSV, which worked to his advantage as he played a part in two goals. 

Calafiori knows he is capable of scoring goals, netting his third of the season with another goal of high quality.

Arteta has a qualified left-back, centre-back and remarkable finisher in Calafiori, whose ability in front of goal surely has the Arsenal manager thinking amid the Gunners’ injury woes.