Mikel Arteta admitted he was thrilled to have a “beautiful night” as Arsenal marked their long-awaited return to the Champions League with a stylish 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium.
In their first appearance in the competition in six years, Arteta’s side destroyed PSV in the first half, going into the break 3-0 up after a ruthless display of attacking intent.
First, Bukayo Saka was the quickest to react and score on the rebound after Martin Odegaard’s long-range shot was parried by Walter Benitez in the PSV goal, before the England winger turned provider with a clever roll-back that was headed into the bottom corner by Leandro Trossard.
The game was all but over in the 38th minute when Gabriel Jesus, from touching the penalty area, fired an unstoppable shot into the far corner.
Odegaard added his side’s fourth goal when he fired a low left-footed shot past the goalkeeper with 20 minutes to play, as last season’s Eredivisie runners-up were beaten and outclassed by Arteta’s side, who were at their best in wet and dry conditions. difficult conditions in the north. London.
“It was a great night after such a long time,” Arteta said.
“We wanted to play the right way to win the game. It was great to see the atmosphere and music of the Champions League.
“Before this, everyone was a little worried. Today we showed ourselves in both penalty areas, I think we were exceptional. I think that was the difference today.
“I was (emotional), yes. I was very excited about this. I wanted to control everything and not show too much, but I was very excited.
“This journey started last year when we earned the right to participate in this competition, which is where we as a club belong. Now we have to produce what we have to produce to stay at this level.”
Having watched his side struggle at times to break down opponents who have lined up against them in the Premier League this season, Arteta was particularly pleased with the way his attack effectively killed off their opponents before the break, taking advantage of a more open game. than they are used to inside the country.
“(It was) very good,” he said. “This is what we have to do. That’s why I mentioned that in the box we were exceptional today, we were ruthless, we took our chances. (It) was spot on. And we could do more. We probably pay more attention to that as managers than to any other part.”
Among many outstanding performances from Arteta’s side, Kai Havertz produced perhaps the best performance of his early Arsenal career.
During recent games at the Emirates, there were signs of disappointment from the home fans over his £65 million summer signing, but he was instrumental in the team’s fluid attacking rhythm as he finally looked at home in an Arsenal shirt.
“Yes, he was really involved in the game today,” Arteta said.
“It’s true, I asked him to play two different roles in relation to the behavior of the opponents, and he is so smart that he does it. We’ve got one or two acts left to complete, but it’s getting closer and he’s so eager to do it.”
