Havertz and Saka scored together, bringing Arsenal a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint Germain in the second round of the Champions League, early morning 2/10.
Welcoming Kai Havertz, Saka help Arsenal beat Paris Saint Germain, coach Mikel Arteta used a 4-4-2 formation with Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard playing together in attack, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice playing as central midfielders, while the two wings were Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
On the other side of the front line, coach Luis Enrique operated a 4-3-3 system with Lee Kang-in playing in the center of the attack, the two wings were Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue. The former Barca and Spain coach dropped Ousmane Dembele from the PSG squad to face Arsenal for violating internal discipline.
The home field advantage helped the Gunners start the match with enthusiasm and it only took 19 minutes to open the score. Leandro Trossard crossed the ball into the penalty area for Kai Havertz to move delicately before heading the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The goal not only helped Arsenal break the deadlock, but also helped Kai Havertz reach an impressive milestone. Specifically, he became the first Arsenal player to score in six consecutive home matches at the Emirates, since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019.
In the 28th minute, Paris Saint Germain created the most dangerous opportunity from the beginning of the match. Nuno Mendes took a long-range shot to beat David Raya, but the ball hit the outside of the crossbar and bounced out.
After Paris Saint Germain missed two consecutive chances, the French rich team received a “counterattack” in the 35th minute. From Arsenal’s direct free kick, Bukayo Saka sent the ball into the PSG penalty area. The ball slowly went through a forest of legs before going into the net, leaving Gianluigi Donnarumma helpless.
With two goals to their name, the Premier League representatives proactively slowed down the pace of the match, while Paris Saint Germain had no choice but to push forward to find opportunities.
In the 68th minute, Neves cut in and quickly finished from a corner kick, but he sent the ball straight into the crossbar of Arsenal’s goal.
Not long after, Bukayo Saka passed the ball to Gabriel Martinelli to finish close to the goal, but goalkeeper Donnarumma continued to dive to save PSG.
Unable to find a way into the Emirates’ goal, Paris Saint Germain accepted to go home empty-handed. Meanwhile, Arsenal had their first win in the Champions League this season, after a draw on the opening day.
With a goal for Arsenal in the match against PSG, Kai Havertz reached an impressive milestone at home at the Emirates.
Havertz’s streak of form began in the final match of the 2023/24 season at home at the Emirates, when he scored the decisive goal in the last minute in a 2-1 win over Everton.
Havertz has continued his form this season, scoring for Arsenal in the opening game against Wolves. He has since scored in the club’s subsequent home games against Brighton, Bolton, Leicester and now Paris Saint Germain.
The former Bayer Leverkusen star is now just one goal away from equalling Robin van Persie’s record of scoring in seven consecutive games at the Emirates.
The Champions League is a competition where Havertz has often shone in big games, having scored the winner in the 2021 final for Chelsea against Manchester City.
And speaking ahead of Arsenal’s clash with PSG, Havertz told the club’s media that winning with Arsenal is a completely different feeling and he has delivered.
Arsenal starting lineup:
22 David Raya, 6 Gabriel Magalhaes, 12 Jurrien Timber, 2 William Saliba, 33 Riccardo Calafiori, 5 Thomas Partey, 41 Declan Rice, 29 Kai Havertz, 19 Leandro Trossard, 7 Bukayo Saka, 11 Gabriel Martinelli
PSG:
1 Gianluigi Donnarumma, 5 Marquinhos, 2 Achraf Hakimi, 51 William Pa cho, 25 Nuno Mendes, 17 Vitinha, 19 Lee Kang-in, 33 Warren Zaïre-Emery, 87 Joao Neves, 29 Bradley Barcola, 14 Desire Doue
Premier League table
[prostandings path=”/a/50/league/england-premier-league/standings”]
