Arsenal have work to do if they’re to reach their first Champions League final since 2006 as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
The Gunners were rocked by an early goal, quickly learning that this was not the same PSG side that limped to a tame 2-0 defeat in north London back in October, and struggled to get a grip of the contest until later in the first half, well after Ousmane Dembele had opened the scoring.
They rallied after half-time but were tamed late on, with PSG missing the better of the chances in the final 15 minutes. As a result, Luis Enrique’s side merely need a result at home next Wednesday to advance into next month’s final.
How the game unfolded
Keen to ignite the Emirates ahead of the game, Mikel Arteta encouraged supporters to “bring their boots” to the stadium on Tuesday night, although it might’ve taken a few more than 60,000 to slow this PSG team down in the opening 30 minutes.
It was a deafening start to the semi-final, with the visitors immediately taming the home crowd’s vivacity which further ignited a relentless away end. Nuno Mendes’ scything pass broke through Arsenal’s defensive structure, finding the feet of Dembele and, after distributing wide to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Frenchman put PSG ahead with an excellent first-time finish off the post.
Rocked, the Gunners struggled in the aftermath amid a Parisian exhibition. Their technical mastery was on full display as they made a mockery of Arsenal’s work without the ball, coming close to doubling their lead through Marquinhos and the nifty Desire Doue.
After half an hour of ominous PSG superiority, the hosts started to gain a foothold in proceedings. Their set-pieces gave the visitors something to think about, while Bukayo Saka’s increased influence undoubtedly worked in Arsenal’s favour. Gabriel Martinelli would’ve been offside had he converted Saka’s cross from the left, but the Brazilian timed his run perfectly when receiving Myles Lewis-Skelly’s pass in behind Marquinhos. The winger somewhat telegraphed his effort and couldn’t quite get the ball out of his feet when finishing, but he still forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into an excellent save.
Still, there was a sense of Arsenal building momentum at the interval.
For all their brilliance in 2025, PSG have interestingly shown some vulnerability at the start of second halves. They conceded twice in quick succession against Manchester City during the league phase, while Nice enjoyed a fast start after the interval on Friday night. The Gunners almost became the next team to take advantage of the sleepy Parisians, but Mikel Merino’s headed equaliser was ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR check.
It seemed as if Enrique’s side were in for a period of suffering, especially after Leandro Trossard forced Donnarumma into a marvellous fingertip save, but they continued to produce enough prolonged passing sequences to keep the more buoyant hosts at bay. Enrique’s men then started to come on strong as the first leg neared its conclusion, with Arsenal struggling to win possession back and retain it when they did.
While Arteta’s side huffed and puffed, it was PSG who continued to create the better chances. Joao Neves blazed over from the edge of the box before substitutes Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos spurned gilt-edge chances to potentially put the tie beyond the Gunners.
Declan Rice had a free-kick in a promising position at the death, but the visitors ensured they didn’t succumb to any dead-ball magic from the midfielder. In the end, they saw out their 1-0 win with some comfort.
Check out the player ratings from Arsenal 0-1 PSG here.
We knew this PSG team were special, and a little bit different to previous, more mentally frail iterations, and their glory manifested after their early goal.
Dembele has been emboldened by Enrique’s utilisation of him as a fluid false nine, and his fingerprints were all over their opener. Not only was he the man who finished the move off, but it was the Frenchman’s positioning behind Mikel Merino and in front of the Arsenal defence which allowed Nuno Mendes to pick him out with a decisive pass.
He took his role to the extreme, often creating a +1 advantage in the middle of the park, and occasionally hoping to receive possession off his centre-backs in the PSG half. Their interchangibility renders them almost impossible to slow down, and the Arsenal players spent much of the opening 30 minutes looking over their shoulders. Their revered press was compromised time-and-time again.
PSG’s technical genius allowed them to assert total control, but their capacity to win duels as well meant it took a while for the hosts to get a sniff. Their opening set the tone, but the way they finished the contest was just as impressive. As Arsenal grew in desperation, their willingness to keep the ball for longer periods increased.
This is an incredibly mature team.
Let’s not even think about Euro 2020.
During PSG’s run to the semi-finals, Donnarumma, who’s certainly not escaped criticism since moving to the French capital, has saved two penalties at Anfield to knock out the Premier League champions, and produced a couple of outstanding stops amid an Aston Villa onslaught to ensure his side progressed.
On Tuesday night in north London, the Italian was called upon infrequently, but his two moments on either side of half-time may prove decisive. Martinelli’s effort at the end of the first half was telegraphed, but it still required a big right-hand from the towering goalkeeper. That was a fine save, but his second major prevention of the night was even better. Donnarumma got down low ever so sharply to tip Trossard’s drive across goal past his far post.
His shot-stopping abilities have long been lauded, and Donnarumma came up with the goods again here. Moreover, there’s a sense that he’s improving when dealing with the high ball, and he was calm enough with his feet to contribute to PSG’s serene possession play.
The final hour of the game was undoubtedly more balanced, although there was a sense that Arsenal had run out of ideas during the closing stages of the contest. Donnarumma wasn’t tested after Trossard’s effort drew the save of the night 56 minutes in.
He didn’t have many options, but could Arteta have turned to his bench sooner? Ben White may have supplied an alternate threat down the right, while Martin Odegaard was woeful and was worthy of an earlier removal. The captain has had a tough season, and some supporters will undoubtedly be questioning whether he should be included in the starting XI next week.
They came up against a magnificent opponent on Tuesday, but there was a sense in N5 ahead of the first leg that this may well be their year after the 15-time winners were slain. In order to reach the final, they must win handsomely in Paris against a team that won’t let them have the ball.
Arteta’s side aren’t ones for ceding control, and they’ll need to be decisive in moments next week. Set-pieces were an issue for the visitors, and a more direct game plan should work in Arsenal’s favour. There’s space to exploit in behind this PSG backline, but they can’t allow the tie to escape their clutches early on in the second leg. Parc des Princes will be raucous.
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