Arsenal now have 100% record in one incredible stat this season after Porto victory

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Arsenal dug deep to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals with a victory over Porto, in a tie which was decided on penalties.

Mikel Arteta’s side could not find their way beyond Porto’s rock-solid defence after Leandro Trossard levelled the tie in the first half, and the game went to penalties after a frustrating period of extra time.

However, the shootout is where Arsenal began to shine. The Emirates crowd helped put off the Porto players, with David Raya making two excellent saves, whilst every Arsenal player scored their spot-kicks convincingly.

Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice all scored their penalties, and a fifth taker was not needed as Raya helped secure Arsenal’s place in the next round.

Arsenal’s excellent penalties helped secure Porto win

All four penalty-takers converted their efforts, and that meant that out of 17 penalties taken by Arsenal players this season, every single one has been scored, at a 100% rate.

Seven different penalty-takers feature in this remarkable stat, which also spans two shootouts, with the Community Shield against Manchester City won on penalties at Wembley in August.

All four efforts were dispatched with confidence against Porto, which helped set the tone for the shootout, and every player looked assured in what was a high-pressure situation.

Saka is Arsenal’s main penalty-taker, with six strikes across the season, whilst Odegaard has also taken four, with the duties sometimes shared.

Fabio Vieira scored the winning spot-kick in the Community Shield, and was also given a penalty in a 5-0 win over Sheffield United.

Havertz was given a penalty in a 4-0 win at Bournemouth in addition to his effort last night, and has grown in confidence since his first Arsenal goal.

Rice was the only player taking a penalty against Porto who had not yet taken one all season, but he converted well, with his assured mentality showing through in a big moment.

Arsenal strategy over penalties pays off

It has been mooted that the strategy earlier this season, which saw Arsenal’s attacking stars rotate the penalty takers, has helped in several ways.

More players have had match practice of taking penalties in lower-pressure scenarios, which may have given them an edge in the Porto shootout.

In addition, the penalties given to Havertz and Vieira were aimed to help build their confidence, and certainly in the case of the German, this appears to have worked well.