Arsenal stunned PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 meeting on Tuesday night. The Gunners set the tone early, scoring three goals within a rapid 13-minute span in the first half, and then they added four more after the interval to seal the deal. Jurrien Timber kicked things off with a goal in the 18th minute, followed by a strike from the young sensation Ethan Nwaneri, and Mikel Merino capped off the first-half scoring in the 31st minute. PSV managed to pull one back with a penalty from Noa Lang, leaving the halftime score at 3-1.

However, Arsenal quickly reasserted their dominance with two goals in the first three minutes of the second half, courtesy of captain Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard. Odegaard then added his second in the 73rd minute, and substitute Riccardo Calafiori rounded off the scoring five minutes from time, completing a remarkable performance at the Philips Stadion.

This victory marks Arsenal’s largest away win in European competition, putting them in a commanding position to progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid. From the outset, Arsenal was in control, although PSV had a chance to take the lead in the 16th minute when a cross from Ivan Perisic was deflected by goalkeeper David Raya, allowing Ismael Saibari to hit the crossbar from close range. Just two minutes later, a clever turn and left-footed cross from Declan Rice found Timber, who rose above Lang at the back post to score the opener and trigger the floodgates. The second goal came from the left side of Arsenal’s attack, as Myles Lewis-Skelly delivered a precise pass that Nwaneri converted from close range. Lewis-Skelly narrowly escaped a second yellow card for a reckless challenge that sparked outrage from the PSV players and bench. Merino’s goal was a result of Timber’s relentless effort as the Dutch defender maneuvered into the PSV box.

The home team struggled to contain him, and when the ball broke loose, defender Ryan Flamingo failed to clear it effectively, allowing Merino to seize the opportunity and slot the ball into the far corner. Just three minutes before halftime, Arsenal conceded a penalty when Thomas Partey’s outstretched arm inadvertently caught PSV captain Luuk de Jong around the neck, leading to Lang converting the penalty kick. However, any chance of a comeback was dashed after the break when PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez made a blunder, handing Odegaard an easy goal. Benitez had pushed Nwaneri’s cross directly into the path of the Norwegian, and within a minute, Trossard executed a clever chip over the goalkeeper to make it 5-0. Odegaard then scored the sixth goal and later delivered a perfect assist to Calafiori, who finished off a brilliant run, capping off a night where everything fell into place for the visitors.

Despite failing to score in their last two Premier League matches, Rice, who delivered an outstanding performance in midfield, remarked that the nature of their victory was no surprise.

“We believe we’ve been playing well as a team. Sometimes we score five, sometimes two, and sometimes we don’t score at all, but tonight we performed excellently.” This match marked the first occasion PSV had conceded seven goals at home and the first time any Dutch club had allowed seven in a European fixture. “They simply outperformed us in every aspect,” admitted PSV defender Olivier Boscagli. “We let them play. And that’s what they wanted to do. We were constantly running after them.”