It was always likely to stand as a barometer for Arsenal as much as anything else. How would they measure up to Paris Saint-Germain , one of the powerhouses of the Champions League? Extremely well, was the answer. On a night to bolster the collective belief for the bigger challenges ahead, especially those that will surely come after the group phase of this competition finally reaches it climax, Arsenal showed their mettle in the physical duels and a cut and thrust to delight their home crowd.
Kai Havertz scored with a towering header and when Bukayo Saka snaked a 35th minute free-kick through a mass of bodies inside the PSG area and in, past the partially sighted Gianluigi Donnarumma, Arsenal knew it was theirs to lose. They would survive a few scares towards the end; a PSG goal could have made it interesting. But there was the overall sense of too many touches from PSG and not enough bite.
It was Arsenal who made the statement. Arteta stuck with the XI that started Saturday’s win over Leicester and the tactical battle was absorbing. Arsenal carried the fight with Havertz and Leandro Trossard at the top of their formation – each had the license to drop off – while it was noticeable at the outset that Riccardo Calafiori wanted to get up and across into central midfield from left-back.
How much did the result really matter? It is hard to see either of these teams failing to advance and there is the sense that nobody yet knows where to see the jeopardy in this reimagined .
