The Gunners produced a Champions League record breaking performance for the ages in dismantling PSV 7-1 in the round-of 16 tie, all but guaranteeing a spot in the quarter-finals for the second successive season.
This was the first time in the history of the competition that a team scored seven goals away from home in the knock-out stages.
“It was a beautiful night,” manager Mikel Arteta said after the game, adding: “To score the goals we did and in the manner that we won the game – very, very impressive.
Around 15 minutes in, however, the match looked set to take a very different course when Ismael Saibari had a wonderful chance to give PSV an early lead, rattling his shot off the crossbar.
Ivan Perišić then missed the follow-up and Arsenal seemed lucky to escape.
The momentum changed quickly, and minutes later the visiting side took the lead when Jurrien Timber headed in Declan Rice’s floated cross at the back post.
Teenagers Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri combined to make it 2-0 moments later, with Nwaneri – who turns 18 in a fortnight – becoming the third-youngest player to score a knock-out stage goal in the Champions League after Bojan Krkić and Jude Bellingham.
Woeful defending from PSV failing to clear the ball from inside the box allowed Mikel Merino to slot in Arsenal’s third after 31 minutes, though Noa Lang’s penalty just before halftime offered the Dutch side a glimmer of hope.
The second period, however, offered little respite for PSV. Martin Ødegaard quickly made it 4-1 after a dangerous cross from Nwaneri was parried into his path, and Leandro Trossard then chipped in a fifth soon after.
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Just 48 minutes into the match, it was the fastest an away side has ever scored five goals in the history of the Champions League.
Odegaard fired in another goal midway through the second half and later played a brilliant ball to Riccardo Calafiori, who completed the rout on 85 minutes.
Arsenal has now won five Champions League games in a row, a run stretching back to November’s 1-0 defeat against Inter Milan.
With the Premier League title race slipping out of their grasp, the Champions League now appears to be the Gunners’ best chance of silverware this season.
“It’s really difficult because PSV are a really good team, the way they beat Juventus (3-1 two weeks ago) was really impressive,” said Arteta. “So how we’ve done it and when we’ve done it, I think we have to give the boys a lot of credit.”
