Arteta delivers his verdict on Arsenal’s biggest Champions League away win | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal’s record 7-1 Champions League win over PSV but insists the focus must remain on sustaining momentum ahead of a crucial period.

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Mikel Arteta praised his Arsenal side after their historic 7-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last-16 first leg, but stressed the need to remain focused as they chase silverware.

The win, Arsenal’s biggest-ever away victory in the competition, effectively seals their place in the quarter-finals, but Arteta was quick to emphasise that nothing is finished yet.

“Thank you because it was a special night,” Arteta said.

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“It’s obviously given us a lot of joy, confidence, and belief. In football, it’s not what we did three days ago or today, it’s going to be what we do tomorrow.

“We go to Old Trafford; how we behave, how we play, and are we able to win a game.

“That’s it. Enjoy tonight because it was a very impressive performance and an unbelievable score. We deserve that and I’ll take it and keep improving as a team.”

The performance saw Martin Ødegaard shine with two goals, while Ethan Nwaneri, Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, and Riccardo Calafiori all found the net in a ruthless attacking display.

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The win surpassed Arsenal’s previous record 5-1 triumph at San Siro against Inter Milan in 2003, but Arteta was clear that records are secondary to his team’s ambitions.

“It’s something that hasn’t been done, so it’s great to be part of that.,” he said “But as a team, we want to achieve many other things that are far more important than that. The happiest I am is because we are in a very strong position to go to the next round, which is where we want to be.”

One of the standout moments of the night was Nwaneri’s goal, which made him the third-youngest goalscorer in Champions League knockout history.

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The young midfielder is now one goal from matching records set by Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, and Arteta was full of praise for his attitude.

“I don’t think that he needs any pushing!,” Arteta said. “You see every time he has a sight of goal, what the intention is. If it comes, it comes and it’s great.

“I’m really impressed with the way he behaved and the way he played tonight. It’s about consistency and now doing it again three days later in another big stadium.”

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Beyond individual performances, Arteta was keen to highlight the team’s aggressive mentality and their ability to share goals across the squad.

“There were a few players today who were ready to take the initiative,” he said.

“When you get to this stage, you have to really play and love the game and take initiative and go for it.

“And today we have a full-back in Myles who puts a cross in for the opposite winger; you have Jurrien scoring a header as a full-back and you have Richy with the movement of a nine and scoring with his right foot, that’s what I’m talking about – flow, courage and playing the way we want to play.”

Despite the emphatic victory, Arteta remains focused on execution and improvement rather than just celebrating the occasion.

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“That’s what we want, but at the end, it’s a thing of execution. Today we were exceptional – we talked before the game, boxes in the Champions League are critical, you have to dominate them. If we hadn’t done it in the first action, they would have scored a goal, and then the other one was a penalty, but we were phenomenal today. Willingness is for sure going to be there, execution is something else.”

Looking ahead, Arsenal return to Premier League action against Manchester United, a fixture that Arteta believes will test his team’s ability to sustain momentum.

“This was a brilliant night, but football doesn’t stop,” Arteta said. “We need to keep pushing, keep improving, and make sure performances like this become the standard.”

With a six-goal advantage heading into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal are all but guaranteed a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.