Martin Odegaard set the tone early on in what was expected to be a difficult away fixture for Arsenal against PSV Eindhoven. In the 20th minute, already leading through Jurriën Timber’s header, Odegaard chased down a wayward cross from Leandro Trossard, desperately sliding to keep the ball in play. Though his efforts were in vain, they embodied Arsenal’s intent for the night. Just two minutes later, Ethan Nwaneri etched his name into history as the third-youngest goalscorer in the Champions League knockout stages, setting Arsenal on their way to a memorable victory.
After back-to-back scoreless draws in the Premier League against West Ham and Nottingham Forest, this performance was exactly what the team needed. It was Arsenal’s first win at this stadium since 2002, and by the time Odegaard fired in the sixth goal with 17 minutes to play, much of the home crowd had already departed in silence.
For Odegaard, this season has been a challenging one. A bad tackle in a Nations League game in September left him sidelined for two months, and Arsenal struggled in his absence, dropping points in four of seven league games. His return in November helped spark a 13-game unbeaten run, yet his numbers in front of goal have been below his usual standards, with only nine goal contributions in 28 appearances before this match. The absence of Bukayo Saka since December has certainly played a part in that dip.
Against PSV, however, Odegaard was given more attacking freedom, and with Mikel Merino providing a mobile presence up front, the home defenders simply could not cope with his movement. “You could tell today that he was enjoying it,” said Mikel Arteta. His grace on the ball has even drawn comparisons to rising academy star Max Dowman, a talented 15-year-old who impressed recently in the FA Youth Cup.
Odegaard nearly scored early on, gliding into the penalty area in the 10th minute before going down under pressure from Ismael Saibari. The referee waved away appeals for a penalty, but Arsenal didn’t have to wait long. Timber, who had spoken beforehand about this being a “beautiful game to change the narrative” of Arsenal’s season, opened the scoring with a powerful header from a Declan Rice cross.
Before kick-off, footage of PSV’s historic European Cup triumph in 1988 had played on the big screens, adding to the electric atmosphere during the final night of the local carnival festivities. The stadium, which has seen legends like Sir Bobby Robson, Romário, and Ronaldo grace its pitch, became the setting for one of Arsenal’s most dominant European performances. PSV, who had already suffered their worst European defeat a 6-0 loss to Saint-Étienne in 1979 ended the night with an equally humiliating result as Riccardo Calafiori rounded off the scoring late on.
On the same day that Arsenal announced season-ticket price increases for the next campaign, they became the first team to score seven goals away from home in a Champions League knockout match. Declan Rice remained unfazed by the magnitude of the win, stating, “We’ve been playing like this all season. Sometimes we score five, sometimes two. Sometimes we don’t score, but tonight we did well.”
With the second leg now a mere formality, Arsenal’s real challenge will come in the quarter-finals, where they are likely to face either Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid. Overcoming one of the Spanish giants will be a tough test for a squad dealing with injuries, but after this performance, belief is growing that they can compete with the best.
