Arsenal posted their first win of the 2024-25 Champions League group stage with a highly impressive 2-0 triumph over fellow European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain in London.
Kai Havertz and Bukhayo Saka scored first half goals to ignite a packed Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (AEST) and make amends for a drab 0-0 stalemate with Atalanta in their opening game of the competition in September.
“They were absolutely phenomenal in that first half,” Mark Bosnich said on Stan Sport.
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“They’ve been threatening this type of performance all season, a complete performance – and that’s what you’ve seen in the first half.
“Wonderful from an attacking perspective, also from a defending perspective as well.”
The Gunners did get a little help, however.
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PSG’s star goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma – who earns a reported $19m per year – should have done better with both goals.
The Italy No.1 was indecisive for Leandro Trossard’s testing cross as Havertz was allowed to nod home a header in the 20th minute.
And Donnarumma then let Arsenal captain Saka’s free kick from the touchline go by him in a packed penalty area in the 35th.
The highly decorated 25-year-old was making his return from a muscular problem in his right thigh.
“When you’ve been out for three games, whether a player or a goalkeeper, you’re just not quite there,” former keeper Bosnich said.
“It takes a bit of time. You saw that with both goals.
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“You should never have come to that first one and here (for Saka’s goal) as well. He’s actually anticipating that there is going to be a touch. You can’t, as a goalkeeper in that situation, it’s a very dangerous situation.
“You can’t anticipate, you’ve got to stay with the ball, you’ve got no other choice. You’ve got to stay with the ball.
“If he’s 100 per cent at it, he doesn’t concede either of them goals. But that just takes away from what was a great performance by Arsenal in that first half.”
Fellow ex-Socceroos star Craig Foster was also wowed by the dominance of Mikel Arteta’s men against one of Europe’s glamour clubs.
“Trossard has been amazing, the way that he’s played,” Foster said.
“A bit of a balanced approach (from manager Arteta). They’d go and press at set pieces, but aside from that, they were happy to sit in a medium block in the middle of the field. But what they did right from the word go was they counterattacked and played through the press of PSG – who wanted to press all the time.
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Luis Enrique’s gamble by leaving Ousmane Dembele out of his PSG squad backfired badly.
Dembele was fit and in form, but the PSG manager sanctioned the France forward because of a perceived lack of commitment and decided he could do without his services against one of the best sides on the continent.
“If someone does not comply with the requirements from the team, it means that they are not ready,” Luis Enrique said before the match.
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To fill the big void left by the prolific forward – Dembele has already scored four goals and delivered three assists in the French league this season – Enrique fielded Desire Doue and Lee Kang-in up front alongside Bradley Barcola.
Facing an Arsenal back four playing at its best, PSG’s attacking players were largely non-existent.
The highly rated Doue was preferred to the experienced Kolo Muani despite just returning from an injury.
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He came under the spotlight at the Paris Olympics, scoring a goal and delivering an assist as France finished with a silver medal.
But Doue did not seem ready while Lee was a marked man throughout and struggled to find space.
Arsenal enjoyed possession, dictated the tempo and opened the scoring within 20 minutes.
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Up front, the Arsenal pair of Trossard and Havertz were lethal as PSG’s centre backs truggled to follow their fast moves and connections.
A beautiful collective move of fast flowing football from Arsenal just after halftime saw Gabriel Martinelli test Donnarumma with a good effort, but this time the PSG goalie had the last word.
PSG’s Joao Neves had an effort parried away by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya onto the woodwork.
Arsenal are third in the Premier League behind Liverpool and Manchester City.
Their next Champions League game is at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on October 23. – with AP
