Arsenal Vs. PSG: Match overview
Quick breaks and direct balls were the basis of Arsenal's play over the first 20 minutes, showing their goalscoring intent. They were also looking to bait the PSG press, drawing them in before Partey provided the one-touch killer pass to set Arsenal off with a 5 vs 4 attack.
Havertz had an outstanding half, stepping up in the absence of the captain by leading the press, organizing the team, and scoring the opener with a brave header from Trossard's perfectly whipped cross. Trossard, Arsenal's creative spark, was everywhere in the attacking half, causing problems for Marquinhos with his close control and unassuming strength & bursts of pace.
Defensively, Arsenal were largely untested and secured a comfortable clean sheet in the second half. Their rigid 4-4-2 shape stifled PSG, who ran out of ideas despite hitting the woodwork twice.
The French champions travelled without star man Dembele due to disciplinary issues & they certainly missed him. His speed would have troubled Calafiori as we saw Hakimi pass the Italian international with relative ease. PSG set up with an overload of technicians in the middle with Vitinha, Neves and Zaire-Emery, but they couldn't penetrate Arsenal’s defence without the presence of a striker. Instead, they were forced out wide where there wasn't enough space to work with.
When PSG had Arsenal pinned back, they posed little threat. All their play unfolded in front of a solid wall of red and white, with no attempts to stretch the defence or get in behind. Their most effective attacks came in transition, where they used the pace of their fullbacks and wingers to isolate Arsenal’s defenders in 1v1 situations.
PSG's best moments came after the introduction of Kolo Muani and Ruiz, adding height in the box that forced Arsenal to defend deeper, thus creating more space on the edge of the box. Before their arrival, PSG lacked variety in attack—no long shots or aerial crosses to challenge Arsenal’s defence and it all became very repetitive.
Luis Enrique’s selection was flawed. The technically skilled but physically weak midfield was overpowered in the first half, and without a striker to target, they struggled to play the ball forward effectively. In the end, Arsenal comfortably held their two-goal lead, frustrating a defective PSG attack.
