PSV 1-7 Arsenal: Gunners answer Mikel Arteta's challenge with emphatic Champions League victory | OneFootball

Gunners run riot in Eindhoven to secure huge round of 16 first leg lead

Mikel Merino, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard were all on the scoresheet

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Arsenal rose to the challenge set by Mikel Arteta as they thrashed PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in their Champions League round of 16 first leg showdown.

Arsenal were 3-0 up after 31 minutes with Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino all on target before Nao Lang gave PSV hope with an emphatic penalty but Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard struck within 90 seconds of each other at the start of the second half as Arteta’s side scored five goals in the Champions League for the second time this season.

Arsenal made two changes from last week’s disappointing goalless draw with Nottingham Forest - a result that has seen them fall 13 points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table - as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Thomas Partey returned in place of Riccardo Calafiori and Jorginho.

They started the game in confident mood as Odegaard had a penalty shout waved away but the Gunners were fortunate to have not fallen behind when Ismael Saibari, with an open goal, smashed the ball against the crossbar.

Heeding the warning, Arsenal raced up the other end and broke the deadlock thanks to a towering header from Timber at the back post as he met Declan Rice’s cross. Three minutes later the lead was doubled when Nwaneri unleashed an unstoppable effort into the top corner after being teed up by Lewis-Skelly.

Speaking of Lewis-Skelly, he was fortunate to avoid being sent-off for two bookable offences after bringing down Richard Ledezma on the edge of the area. The youngster was substituted at the next opportunity which just happened to be during a goal celebration after Merino had scored.

The Spaniard was gifted his first Champions League goal of the campaign following some really poor defending, though the effort was only allowed to stand after a VAR check for a potential offside against him.

PSV were given a lifeline just before the break when Thomas Partey was penalised for a foul on Luuk de Jong in the box and Lang confidently converted the penalty to reduce the deficit.

However, Odegaard restored Arsenal’s three-goal lead inside the opening minute of the second half, Trossard then made sure of the result just over a minute later. The captain netted again before setting up Calafiori as the Arsenal became the first side in Champions League history to score seven goals away from home in the knockout stages.