Arsenal capitalizes on mistakes made by Gianluigi Donnarumma, securing a significant win against Paris Saint-Germain
In the 20th minute, Mateo Ter Stegen ventured outside his goal area to try and clear a cross from Leandro Trossard, but he was outmaneuvered by Kai Havertz who headed the ball into an unguarded net.
15 minutes later, the goalkeeper struggled to keep out Bukayo Saka's curling cross. The ball evaded Arsenal's attackers before finding its way into the net.
The goalkeeper, who returned to the team following a three-game injury layoff, was not assisted by a lackluster attacking line that evidently missed star player Ousmane Dembele. The French winger, who has scored four goals in six Ligue 1 appearances this season, was left out of the squad by manager Luis Enrique as he felt that Dembele "failed to meet the team's requirements."
Arsenal struggled to get going in the first half, but Saka came alive in the 9th minute when he cut inside and shot just over the crossbar.
From then on, Arsenal took control of the game and scored their first goal in the 20th minute. Trossard managed to evade the challenges of Desire Doue and sent a superb cross into the area. Ter Stegen failed to connect, and Havertz opened the scoring.
PSG responded well and came close to scoring through both fullbacks at the half-hour mark. Nuno Mendes narrowly missed the target from the edge of the box while Achraf Hakimi forced a good save from David Raya two minutes later.
But Arsenal doubled their lead in the 35th minute when Saka curled a free kick into the box. Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey missed the ball, while Ter Stegen also failed to save it, and the cross found its way into the net. It was Arsenal's fourth goal from a set piece this season.
Martinelli had two chances to score in the second half but was denied by Ter Stegen once again.
PSG looked much better in the second half and came closest when Joao Neves headed a Lee Kang-in corner onto the crossbar. The French team also had a penalty appeal for handball against Riccardo Calafiori dismissed after a VAR check, leaving Enrique visibly frustrated.
Arsenal's victory, their second in seven Champions League games, leaves them eighth in the table on four points. With 16 points likely to be enough to secure a top-eight finish and progression to the round of 16, Arsenal are just four wins away from ensuring their place in the next round.
Mikel Arteta's team still have matches against Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter, Sporting CP, AS Monaco, GNK Dinamo and Girona to come.
Arteta said at the post-match press conference that he was not yet focusing on Arsenal's position in the table.
"It's too early," he said. "Everybody has to play a lot of different and difficult games, home and away. We have to adapt to that. We still don't know how many points you need. The only thing you can focus on is your performance and your own games, like we've done tonight."
However, Arteta was pleased with his team's performance, stating that it had boosted their belief.
"It's a night to be really happy," he said. "That belief is something that lifts the energy and the spirit of everybody. First of all, it's about believing you can face those incredible teams and have a really good chance to beat them."
Meanwhile, PSG find themselves in trouble with just three points from their first two matches, leaving them in 18th place. Their upcoming fixture list, which includes PSV, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, RB Salzburg, Manchester City, and Stuttgart, will be a difficult challenge to navigate.
The team's poor performance in attacking was evident throughout the first half, as they failed to capitalize on chances created, with football not flowing as smoothly as Mateo Ter Stegen would have liked.
Despite PSG's struggles, football continues to be an exciting spectacle, with each team striving to outmaneuver their opponents and secure crucial goals.
