PSV 1-7 Arsenal: A beautiful night as majestic Gunners thrash Eindhoven to leave Gooners dreaming of Real Madrid 

Imperious Arsenal hit seven Champions League goals at Eindhoven 

PSV Eindhoven 1–7 Arsenal: Champions League match report by Layth Yousif in Eindhoven

Mikel Arteta’s imperious Arsenal hit seven goals against an utterly shellshocked PSV side, to leave them dreaming of a Champions League clash against the mighty Real Madrid in the last eight next month.

Three goals before the break from Jurrien Timber, Hale End academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri and makeshift striker Mikel Merino put Arteta’s impressive Arsenal firmly in the driving seat on Tuesday evening in the Netherlands.

After glorious early spring sunshine amid the convivial atmosphere generated by the town’s annual carnival, the Gunners dominated their hosts in a stunning first half that emphatically sealed this Round of 16 tie in splendid fashion.  

Despite PSV pulling a goal back moments before the break through a Noa Lang penalty, rampant Arsenal struck with a brace early in the second half to kill the tie stone dead with goals through Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard – to leave a cakewalk that saw Odegaard grab a second and substitute Riccardo Calafiori hit a late seventh to cap a remarkable evening, as the Gunners notched their fifth consecutive Champions League win.

Speaking after the match, after smashing the club's record for biggest away win in the competition, and becoming the first side ever to net more than six in a Champions League away match in the knock-out stages, a delighted Arteta said: “It was a beautiful night.”  

“The players really made us enjoy the night. It was a big game in the Champions League, in the knockout stage and to play with flow, to score the goals we did and in the manner that we won the game – very, very impressive.”

Prior to kick-off, Arteta made two changes to the team that drew at Nottingham Forest, with Myles Lewis-Skelly replacing Calafiori at left-back, with Thomas Partey in for Jorginho.

On nine minutes Odegaard broke into the box, and, as he pulled his leg back to shoot, the Gunners captain appeared to have made the merest contact with PSV No34 Ismael Saibari, prior to his air shot that saw him fall to the ground. VAR was quick to rule there was no infringement. 

Three minutes later Declan Rice fired low into the far corner, only for referee Jesus Gil Manzano to adjudge offside after the Gunners midfielder had gone beyond Tyrell Malacia.

On 16 minutes, as the game opened up, PSV struck David Raya’s far post through Saibari, prior to Ryan Flamingo firing narrowly wide.

Stung, Arsenal swept forward two minutes later, as Timber resoundingly headed in Rice’s cross to put the visitors 1-0 up, as the 1,600 travelling Gooners at the other end of the stadium celebrated wildly.

Worse was to come for Peter Bosz’s struggling PSV, as a mere 180 seconds later, Arteta’s side went 2-0 through teenage wonderkid Nwaneri - who was virtually unplayable at times as his stellar breakthrough season continues - fired in a superb left-footed shot past PSV keeper Walter Benitez and straight into the top corner, to cue further pandemonium in the jubilant away end.

Two became three when Merino slotted home on 31 minutes to underline the North Londoners dominance, following Timber's persistence. 

Merino, who hit two at Leicester last month as an auxiliary forward, prior to struggling in the aftermath - drawing blanks during the frustrating 1-0 home defeat by West Ham, and the goalless draw at the City Ground – was overjoyed to hit the net again, as his teammates flocked forward, happy to celebrate with the popular Spaniard, even if Arteta’s black-shirted side looked slightly shocked to be 3-0 up at such an early juncture.

Arsenal being Arsenal, nothing is ever as easy as it should be - with Spanish referee Manzano awarding PSV a penalty shortly before the interval, booking midfielder Partey for hauling down Luuk de Jong in the box.

Up stepped PSV No10 Lang, emphatically making no mistake from the spot to pull a goal back at 3-1, two minutes before the break.

As the clock ticked down to end a lively opening 45 minutes, the muscular de Jong aimed a header just over Raya’s bar, much to the chagrin of the passionate home support, already lifted by Lang’s spot kick moments earlier.

However, any Arsenal fears PSV would stage an unlikely comeback after the interval were soon quelled when Odegaard made it 4-1 two minutes into the second half, after Benitez could only parry Nwaneri's cross into the Gunners' captain's path.

With celebrations barely subsided, the rampant Gunners made it five, when the hard-working Trossard slotted home sixty seconds later, following a perceptive ball into his path from substitute Calafiori.

Arteta sensibly replacing the already booked Lewis-Skelly, with the Italian, after the teenager was lucky not to be awarded a second yellow card, for an agricultural challenge on No37 Richard Ledezma in the first half.

Still the Gunners were not satisfied, with Odegaard popping up for a second goal, and Arsenal’s sixth on 73 minutes, before Calafiori powered through with five minutes remaining to fire past the beleaguered Benitez, to leave Gunners fans dreaming of the Bernabeu.

A beautiful night indeed. 

Seven. I haven’t seen The Arsenal hit seven goals away in Europe since I went to Liege in 1993…. pic.twitter.com/xciAj8VBJr

— Layth (@laythy29) March 4, 2025