Bukayo Saka may be sidelined with injury, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying Arsenal’s historic 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. The Gunners put on a clinic in the Netherlands, becoming the first team to score seven goals in an away knockout match in the competition’s history.
Despite missing key attackers like Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz, Mikel Arteta’s side showed no mercy. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring, followed by goals from Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard (2), Leandro Trossard, and Riccardo Calafiori.
Saka has been out since December with a hamstring injury but is nearing a return, with Arsenal hopeful he’ll feature again this month. Meanwhile, the team’s injury crisis has given young talents like Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly a chance to shine.
Arteta praised the duo after the match: “To be doing what they are doing at 17 and 18 years old shows incredible maturity. They have a lot of courage and take initiative—that’s the team I want to see.”
Declan Rice even joked that Nwaneri’s performances have been so impressive that he’ll still get minutes when Saka returns. “Even if Bukayo was here, Ethan would still be playing because he’s that good and works so hard in training,” Rice said.
With one foot in the quarter-finals, Arsenal now turn their attention to a crucial Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday, before what looks like a mere formality in the second leg against PSV.