Forget the first 30 minutes, Arsenal found a way to beat PSG which will work for Mikel Arteta in Champions League second leg

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Arsenal lost the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates on Tuesday night.

Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike from the edge of the box was enough to give Luis Enrique’s team a lead heading into the second leg at the Parc des Princes next week.

Thierry Henry believes PSG were the much better side in N5, although the statistics suggest that the game was fairly even and that Arsenal have reason to believe they can overturn the scoreline in Paris.

Enrique’s side dominated the opening 30 minutes in North London, but as the game went on, Mikel Arteta tactically caught on to what his compatriot was doing and found a way to stifle the Parisians.

• READ MORE: Former club doctor explains Ousmane Dembele injury timeframe before Arsenal’s second leg with PSG

How PSG dominated Arsenal in the opening 30 minutes at the Emirates

The game at the Emirates was ultimately a game of three thirds, with PSG the better side in the opening 30 minutes, Arsenal better for the middle part of the game, while the French side rediscovered their control late on.

In the first half an hour, PSG out-shot Arsenal six to one, with the Gunners very much under the cosh in this period.

Enrique’s counter-pressing system made it extremely difficult for Arteta’s team to get the ball up the pitch, with the Ligue 1 outfit suffocating the Gunners.

Arsenal kept trying to methodically and surgically play out from the back, but with Declan Rice the deepest midfielder rather than Thomas Partey, they struggled.

Rice doesn’t like turning when receiving the ball with his back to goal under pressure, while that’s arguably Partey’s greatest attribute, meaning Arsenal couldn’t find a way to evade the PSG press.

Meanwhile, the disrupted composition of the North Londoners’ midfield, with Rice and Mikel Merino in roles they’ve not played in recently, saw PSG play through Arsenal on numerous occasions and get at the Gunners back-line.

However, Arteta worked it out and the Gunners improved tenfold as the game went on.

Arsenal worked out how to play PSG

Between the 30th and 75th minute, Arsenal out-shot PSG seven to zero.

While the onus was on the Gunners as they were at home and chasing the game, this period was still markedly different to the first 30.

Arsenal decided to stop trying to play through PSG with pretty passing patterns, and played into their superior physicality instead.

David Raya started going long to evade the press, something that will be even more effective in the second leg with Merino back up front.

Meanwhile, Myles Lewis-Skelly started carrying the ball beyond PSG’s fragile midfield, as did Rice.

Using pure power and athleticism to dominate the French team, Enrique’s side didn’t have the physical capacity to compete with Arsenal.

While the Gunners faded in the later stages of the match as they fatigued, and they had few options off the bench to make an impact, this physical domination is certainly something they can replicate next week.

PSG will play in the same extremely aggressive way, and Arsenal now know how they can break the press and how they can overcome Enrique’s side’s technical midfield.