KAI Havertz and Bukayo Saka inspired Arsenal’s 2-0 success against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday as the Gunners secured their first win in the Champions League this season.
Havertz headed Arsenal into the lead and Saka netted before the interval to underline their superiority at the Emirates Stadium.
After drawing their opening league phase tie at Atalanta, Mikel Arteta’s side moved onto four points in their bid to reach the knockout stage of the revamped tournament.
Eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals last season and pipped to the English title by Manchester City, the Gunners are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions this term as they chase silverware on both fronts.
There was further good news for Arsenal as Spain midfielder Mikel Merino made his long-awaited debut for the last 30 minutes.
Merino’s recovery from a shoulder injury suffered in his first training session following his close-season move from Real Sociedad was a welcome boost for Arteta with Martin Odegaard currently sidelined.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was back in goal for PSG after missing the last three games with a thigh injury and the Italian had an early test of his fitness as he sprinted off his line to save at Gabriel Martinelli’s feet.
Saka, captaining Arsenal for the night, quickly switched the momentum in the hosts’ favour when he cut in from the right flank to curl just over from the edge of the area.
Havertz rewarded Arsenal’s relentless pressure with the opener in the 20th minute.
Leandro Trossard curled a pin-point cross into the six-yard box and Havertz made a perfectly-timed run behind the visitors’ flat-footed defence to bravely head past the advancing Donnarumma.
The Germany forward, who scored Chelsea’s Champions League final winner in 2021, endured a difficult start with Arsenal after moving across London for £65 million ($86 million) last year.
But since the start of February, only three Premier League players have more combined goals and assists in all competitions than Havertz’s tally of 21 as he banishes the ‘waste of money’ jibes.
