Graceful captain set the tone early on in thrashing of PSV and will need to be at his best when tougher tests arrive
If there was a moment that epitomised how Arsenal were going to approach what had appeared to be an extremely tricky away assignment against PSV Eindhoven then it came in the 20th minute of this surprisingly one-sided first leg. Already leading through Jurri?n Timber?s header, a cross from Leandro Trossard eluded everyone in the box but Martin ?degaard had already set off in pursuit of the ball. His attempts to keep it in play eventually came to no avail despite a desperate slide, yet the Arsenal captain had set the tone.
Two minutes later, Ethan Nwaneri had etched his name into the history books again as the third-youngest goalscorer in the Champions League knockout stages, and Arsenal were well on their way to a statement win that will live long in the memory of the 1,800 Gunners fans who witnessed it live. After the disappointment of failing to score against West Ham and Nottingham Forest in successive Premier League games, this was an evening for them to savour on their third trip to this stadium in three seasons.
Continue reading...

More...