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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Verri

Arsenal 4-0 PSV: Bukayo Saka scores first Champions League goal as Gunners cruise to opening win

Arsenal made a perfect return to the Champions League as they cruised to a 4-0 win over PSV.

The Gunners were back at Europe’s top table for the first time in six years and swiftly made up for lost time, as they scored three first-half goals to effectively secure the three points before half-time.

Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all got themselves on the scoresheet in a brilliant showing from the Arsenal front-line, before Martin Odegaard extended the lead further with 20 minutes to go.

Saka was one of those in the Arsenal lineup making his Champions League debut and he marked it with a goal inside eight minutes, providing a composed finish as Odegaard’s strike was parried out into his path.

Trossard opened his account too, sweeping home superbly from Saka’s ball across, before the Belgian turned provider himself to dink a ball to the back post, where Jesus took it down and lashed a finish into the far corner.

There should have been more goals for Jesus too, with the forward turning wide from a tight angle after the break and then doing too much when Odegaard clipped a wonderful ball over the top to him. Jesus had the space to get a shot away, but opted to chop inside and lost the ball and the chance.

A fourth goal did come though, with Arsenal’s captain deservedly getting in on the action. Reiss Nelson, along with Emile Smith Rowe impressive off the bench, found Odegaard 25 yards out, and the midfielder shifted the ball onto his left foot before arrowing the strike into the bottom corner.

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