20 September 2023 , 21:50
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Arsenal's six-year wait for Champions League football was ended in spectacular fashion as the Gunners battered PSV 4-0 - and Mikel Arteta couldn't hide his delight.
The north Londoners were dominant from the first whistle and it didn't take long for them to go in front. Bukayo Saka netted the opener inside the first eight minutes, before Leandro Trossard doubled the lead 12 minutes later with a delightful effort from the edge of the box.
The third came from Gabriel Jesus and that all but ended the game as a contest before the first half had even finished. There was still time mid-way through the second-half for club captain Martin Odegaard to rifle home a long range strike to cap off the sensational team performance.
Arteta spoke before the clash about how excited he was to have Arsenal competing in Europe's most prestigious club competition once again. He arrived for his post-match media duties with a notably large grin and discussed the "good headaches " he has to deal with as a result of his squad's depth.
Reviewing the performance with TNT Sports, the Arsenal boss laid bare what he has happy with but made clear there was of course room for improvement. "We enjoyed it," Arteta explained.
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"From the first minute we went for it. We were really good in both boxes and in the Champions League when you are really good in both boxes you have a chance. In between the boxes there are things to improve but inside the boxes we were phenomenal."
Discussing how he'll personally respond to the win, Arteta added: "Enjoy tonight, go home and have a nice late dinner with my wife. I will enjoy the moment, enjoy the victory and tomorrow I will focus on Spurs because we have a big game coming up."
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Arsenal made light work of PSV at the EmiratesNext up for the Gunners, as Arteta mentioned, is the not-so-small matter of a north London derby against local rivals Tottenham. Arsenal's neighbours have started their Premier League campaign in equally impressive fashion and boast an identical record to Arteta's side after five games played.
Club captain Odegaard made clear that Arsenal are not in the Champions League to make up the numbers, but they will have to learn how to juggle their European commitments with domestic duties. The best chance of succeeding in that mission is to have a number of talented players that can be relied upon and if the win over PSV showed anything, it showed the Gunners have that.