Arsenal’s difficult evening against PSG has put them on the back foot when it comes to their Champions League hopes.
The Gunners are trailing in the tie, with Ousmane Dembele’s opener after four minutes proving to be the difference at the Emirates Stadium.
There was plenty of frustration from the Arsenal fans and players, who saw the game just slip away from their grasp.
In all of the annoyance experienced on the night, there were some positives, not least for the Arsenal academy, as both Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly broke records in the match.
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Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri break youngest English man record in Champions League semi-final
Arsenal trail PSG in the Champions League semi-final, with a huge second leg ahead of them at the Parc des Princes.
The whole squad may be called upon to make a difference, with the Arsenal academy certainly playing its part in that regard.
Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed the French media as he starred from the start in his usual full-back role that saw him tuck into midfield.
That appearance saw the youngster become the youngest Englishman and youngest Premier League player to feature in a Champions League semi-final, aged 18 years and 215 days old.
In a performance built on confidence, Lewis-Skelly showed that he was more than comfortable playing at that level.
Towards the end of that game, though, that record was then broken by a late appearance from teammate Ethan Nwaneri.
The forward received just five minutes to help turn the game around, but in doing so, he then took that record for himself, aged just 18 years and 39 days old.
As frustrating as the result ended up being for Arsenal, there was proof that the future seems bright with their young stars still coming through on the big stage.
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Arsenal youngsters getting experience in the Champions League spells good news
While there will no doubt be frustration at the way in which Arsenal fell to defeat against PSG, the long-term impact of such a game could be used as a boost.
The Gunners haven’t got an extensive history in the Champions League, with this being just the third time they’ve reached the semi-finals.
At the very least, it’s an improvement on last year’s quarter-final exit, which has no doubt built the foundation for such a test this time around.
That experience for Arsenal playing on the biggest stage has helped the players grow, and that’ll certainly be the case for both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly too.
The duo have stepped up in the Premier League and with some moments in the Champions League, but the more experience they have of these occasions, the easier it may be to deal with them in the future.
Exposing both to such big games can only be a good thing for their development, regardless of the outcome.
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