“We would have won the game but he was all over the field… it’s unfortunate Arteta doesn’t know how to use such fantastic player”: PSG coach says his team has never face a player like £68m Arsenal player in his entire career, praises the superstar

Arsenal scored their first Champions League victory of the season, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 at Emirates Stadium due to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

Mikel Arteta chose an unchanged side from Sunday’s thrilling late win against Leicester, with Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber clearing late fitness tests to play full back.

Mikel Merino returned to the bench for the first time since his summer signing from Real Sociedad, having recovered from a broken shoulder.

Arsenal had a great start, pressing with intensity, and Saka’s first chance of the game came after some exquisite play down the left side by Gabriel Martinelli and Calafiori.

PSG did settle and got Vitinha on the ball, who was able to slow things down, but the Gunners created another good opportunity when Saka passed Havertz through, who went by him on the overlap but no one could meet his low cross into the box.

Arsenal finally broke the deadlock after 20 minutes, thanks to Leandro Trossard, who did brilliantly to escape Desire Doue before sending a lovely cross for Havertz, who bravely climbed ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma to head into the corner. 1-0.

The two are still developing a good chemistry, and their positional flexibility between midfield and attack makes their movements tough to follow.

It took half an hour for Paris to create their first serious chance, when Nuno Mendes hit the post with a ferocious strike, before Hakimi ran past Calafiori on the counterattack and forced David Raya into action from a tight angle.

Arteta’s troops extended their advantage shortly after when Saka produced an enticing cross to six red shirts racing towards the near post, leaving Donnarumma perplexed and unsighted as the ball slid past him and into the net. 2-0.

It was another entertaining set piece routine from Arsenal, who looked threatening from such positions throughout the first half and, despite Paris’ awful defending, should be commended for the inventiveness and variety they seem to give practically game by game.

Trossard came close to making it 3-0 (and arguably should have) before halftime thanks to superb work by Saka by the touchline, but he couldn’t connect correctly with the captain’s low cross from six yards out.

During the first half, you could see Paris’ potential and technical skill, but fears about the physical imbalance before kickoff proved correct – Arsenal were dominating and smothered their opponents in defensive zones with their inch-perfect press.

Arteta did make a half-time substitution, with Jakub Kiwior replacing Jurrien Timber, causing Calafiori to shift to right back, in what was hoped to be a preventative measure for the defence.

With Paris under pressure again, Arsenal almost scored one of the season’s goals after magnificent one-touch passing from Saka, Trossard, and Havertz set up Martinelli, but his left-footed shot went straight down Donnarumma’s throat.

With an hour on the clock, Merino would make his Arsenal debut, replacing Thomas Partey, who was also likely substituted given his injury history and recent busy workload.

The visitors had two fast chances after adding Fabian Ruiz and Randal Kolo Muani, with Joao Neves shooting into the crossbar from a corner and Lee Kang-in making Raya uncomfortable with a spinning attempt from long range.

Donnarumma then reacted quickly to save another shot, and Paris were sure that they should have got a penalty when the ball touched Calafiori’s arm in the area, but to their dismay, it was checked and cleared by VAR without incident.

After an exciting first half, Arsenal appeared to weary in the second, and the visitors did generate some opportunities that they did not take advantage of, but it was otherwise a fantastic performance from Arteta’s men, who will continue to progress until the next international break.