Arsenal supporters are all saying the same thing after their Champions League round of 16 first-leg victory against PSV.
Arsenal delivered a dominant performance at the Philips Stadion, overwhelming their Dutch opponents in a one-sided encounter.
Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and just three minutes later, Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead after a precise assist from Myles Lewis-Skelly. By the 31st minute, the Gunners were in complete control, with Mikel Merino adding a third. Noa Lang briefly reduced the deficit with a penalty just before halftime, but Arsenal quickly reasserted their dominance after the break.
Martin Ødegaard restored their three-goal cushion early in the second half, followed by strikes from Leandro Trossard and another from Ødegaard. Riccardo Calafiori sealed the emphatic victory with Arsenal’s seventh goal, capping off a spectacular display from Mikel Arteta’s side.
Amid Arsenal’s goal-fest, fans noticed an intriguing tactical tweak from Mikel Arteta—one he had hinted at weeks earlier.
Before Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Leicester on February 15, Arteta had a lighthearted exchange with Martin Keown on TNT Sports. Keown jokingly suggested that Riccardo Calafiori could be used as a makeshift striker, given his goal-scoring form against Manchester City and Wolves. Arteta’s response—“It’s been done in the past… especially against low blocks, it is an option we have.”—now seems more than just a passing remark.
Following Calafiori’s goal against PSV, Arsenal fans took to social media, convinced Arteta had indeed deployed the Italian defender further forward.
One fan commented, “We have CFs playing as defenders. Just look at that finish from Riccardo Calafiori.”
Another added, “Calafiori’s more dangerous than Sterling in the final third lol what a finish.”
A third wrote, “How do I explain that Calafiori actually plays like an attacker and not a defender?”
After the emphatic victory, Martin Ødegaard expressed his delight, telling UEFA, “I enjoyed that one… It is hard to explain, but I think today you saw what we are capable of, and hopefully, we will continue now.”
Arteta, meanwhile, acknowledged the significance of the win after recent struggles in front of goal. “So happy for the boys because in the last two games, we haven’t scored a goal, and we know the noise around that,” he told Prime Video. “It’s a massive result away from home in a competition that we love and missed for so many years. Today is a really special night for us.”
Whether Calafiori’s attacking role was intentional or simply a natural progression of Arsenal’s attacking fluidity, it’s clear Arteta continues to find creative ways to outmaneuver opponents.
