Arsenal end Paris Saint-Germain’s incredible nine-year Champions League run as Gunners’ imperious defence thrives

Arsenal showed why they’re arguably the top seemingly drilled crew in Europe having ended Paris Saint-Germain’s chronicle 9-year Champions League run.

The Gunners eased to a 2-0 victory over their French opponents on the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening thanks to first half of objectives from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

After a dominant opening forty five minutes, Mikel Arteta’s men had been contented for Les Parisiens to admire extra of the ball within the 2nd interval – incandescent they’ll also unbiased admire them out.

They veritably did that very easily – ending PSG’s run of scoring in 51 consecutive Champions League team stage matches.

Their incredible run started in November 2015 with a 5-0 bag over Malmo, with Luis Enrique’s men playing in opposition to Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Exact Madrid in that time.

But they had been no match for Arteta’s Premier League title challengers, who admire now kept 17 ultimate-looking out sheets in 32 games in all competitions in 2024.

That is basically the most of any English high-flight facet, with most effective Exact Madrid [18] boasting extra across Europe’s high 5 leagues.

From Arsenal’s 9 matches in all competitions this season, they’ve kept 5 ultimate-looking out sheets – and are yet to concede from their opening two Champions League fixtures.

Saka, who was all over again Arsenal’s captain within the absence of Martin Odegaard, spoke about his facet’s defensive resilience in his post-match interview with Amazon Top.

Commenting on the squad’s newfound perspective of ‘bag at all costs’, he mentioned: “I see a lot of people speak about us and the way we play.

“But for us it be about outcomes, varied games admire varied contexts and now we admire to originate regardless of it takes, and bag in any context.

“Whether we can win on set pieces, whether we can win playing our beautiful football, whatever it takes, we just want to win.”

Saka himself admitted he would favor to be playing greater up the pitch all the tactic thru the match, but is bigger than contented to sacrifice his admire attacking instinct to assist out defensively in define to grind out a end result.

He remarked: “Of course all attacking players, we’re all attacking minded, we want to go forward.

“But the supervisor has emphasised loads about the other share of the game, I’m definite whereas you happen to are standing on the facet you would possibly per chance be in a website online to hear him loads after we’re out of possession!

“But it does take a lot of sacrifice and discipline, because I’m going to be honest, I do want to be more forward, but it’s what the team requires.

“And when I peek the outcomes, now we admire somewhat loads of ultimate-looking out sheets, so it be paying off, and it encourages me to withhold doing it.

“Me, Gabi [Gabriel Martinelli], and all the other players that play on the wing in this team.”

Arteta himself commented on Arsenal’s willingness to defend, as he mentioned: “The players do it and they don’t feel like it is nasty, they feel that it is their duty to the team.

“They veritably’ve began to cherish it. It’s all about how you feel whereas you happen to originate something, whereas you happen to finally feel it you originate it smartly, if not you then are valid cheating.

“These guys don’t cheat, they run and track back every time. If you want to be a top team you better have eleven players that are capable of working.”

Subsequent up for Arsenal is a clash with newly-promoted Southampton in north London, where they’ll be hoping for yet one more ultimate-looking out sheet in opposition to a Saints facet that admire didn’t ranking in three of their six league matches this interval of time.