# Martin Ødegaard double leads Arsenal’s 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven

Arsenal had struggled for goals,  in their previous four matches; out of the Carabao Cup, their Premier League title challenge grievously undermined. It was just too hard without all of their injured forwards, wasn’t it? Here, Mikel Arteta’s team gave their riposte.

It was one-way traffic from the outset and when Leandro Trossard got his goal, ensuring that all three of Arteta’s makeshift frontline had scored, it was 5-1 and there were only 48 minutes on the clock.  were humiliated.

## Martin Ødegaard double leads Arsenal’s 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven

Mikel Merino, who before the  four games ago had never played as a centre-forward, scored for 3-1 and before that, there was a cracker from Ethan Nwaneri. He became the third-youngest player to find the net in a Champions League knockout tie after Bojan Krkic and Jude Bellingham and it was tempting to focus on him, to say that this was the 17-year-old’s night above all of the others.

Players of Nwaneri’s age should not have such intelligence with their runs, such composure in possession, such assurance with their decision-making. And that is before we talk about the sharpness of his turns, the blistering acceleration.

Yet that would be to do plenty of others a disservice – especially the captain, Martin Ødegaard. When he ran through to score his second goal for 6-1, there was applause for him from some of the PSV fans by the press box. At times, it looked as though he was playing with his own ball.

It was a night to make early checks on Arsenal’s previous record away wins in the . For the record, they were the 5-1 against Inter in 2003 and the 4-0 – PSV again – in 2002. They were surpassed. The two legs of this last‑16 meeting had been talked up as make‑or-break for the prolongation of Arsenal’s season. Now, the feelgood factor is back, the excitement crackling about a quarter-final against one of the Madrid clubs. By then, Gabriel Martinelli and possibly Bukayo Saka could have recovered from their injuries.

The soundtrack to the occasion was provided by the sighs of the home support. What has happened to PSV? The Dutch champions were flying when the Eredivisie broke for winter, six points clear at the top. They now lag eight behind the new leaders, Ajax, having won only one in seven in the competition. They also crashed out of the Dutch Cup here last Wednesday – their first home defeat since November 2022. The old line about London buses applied.

Eindhoven was in the grip of the sights and smells of its annual carnival; the Philips Stadion pulsed to a raucous beat before kick-off.  knew they needed to master the occasion and it was so encouraging to see them start as they did – bit between their teeth, advertising possibility whenever they passed and moved.









There was controversy when Lewis-Skelly, on a booking for a foul on Luuk de Jong, went in hard and late on Richard Ledezma, the PSV full-back writhing on the ground to make his team’s point – it was surely a second yellow card. The referee, Jesús Gil Manzano, who is not known in Spain for keeping his cards in his pocket, did precisely that. Arteta withdrew Lewis-Skelly not long after. It was one of the many indications that it was Arsenal’s night.

By the time of the substitution, it was 3-0, the concession a horror show for PSV as they failed to clear and then Flamingo just fell over, allowing Merino to sidefoot home. A lengthy VAR check for offside did not spare PSV.

Noa Lang pulled one back from the penalty spot after Thomas Partey had checked De Jong on a corner. De Jong also headed a gilt-edged chance high before half-time.

But nobody thought there was a route back into it for PSV. They were just too open, too easy to play around and through. Arsenal luxuriated in their time on the ball and they landed a one-two punch upon the second-half restart.

Nwaneri burned Tyrell Malacia for pace before crossing for Ødegaard to make it 4-1, the ball breaking kindly for him after a weak Walter Benítez parry. It was five when Riccardo Calafiori – who had come on for Lewis-Skelly – released Trossard and his dinked finish was a beauty.

The chances kept coming, Arsenal cavorting in the wide open spaces. Ødegaard benefited when Benítez flapped at his shot. And it was Ødegaard who played the pass for Calafiori to finish low into the far corner. You can only beat what is in front of you. Arsenal did that and then some.
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