Arsenal 0–1 PSG Player Ratings: A Nervy Win for PSG Puts Them Marginally Ahead After the First Leg in the Champions League Semi-Final

It was hard and dirty, but PSG got the job done in the first leg away from home after they beat Arsenal 1-0, thanks to the goal from Ousmane Dembele early in the game. With a slender lead in hand for PSG, it is all set up to be a tasty encounter at the Parc des Princes next week for the return leg.

After the draw against Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta decided to play Mikel Merino back in his midfield position, replacing Thomas Partey, allowing Leandro Trossard to play as the striker. Luis Enrique, on the other hand, stuck with an unchanged line-up despite losing to Nice in their last match, which ended their unbeaten winning streak in Ligue 1.

While PSG were expected to stay hot on Arsenal’s defense, they surprisingly opened the tally within three minutes as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found Dembele in the box, who took his shot, which went in off the post. Kvaratskhelia and Doue got chances for themselves to score, but David Raya made some big saves to deny them.

Arsenal, despite conceding early, kept their cool and slowly grew into the game, trying to unlock the PSG defense. But the way PSG were playing made it incredibly hard for them. However, a delightful pass from Lewis Skelly to bypass the PSG’s defense to find Martinelli, whose shot was denied by Donnarumma, was the best chance for them in the half.

Arsenal did not take long to hit back in the second half as, in a set-piece scenario, Declan Rice’s sumptuous ball into the box to find Merino, who beat Pacho to head it in, breathed some life in. But, it rightfully got ruled out for offside as Merino could not time his run. Declan Rice found Trossard again a few minutes later, but Donnarumma did a fantastic job again to deny him. While PSG grew into the game after the scare, they struggled to get shots on target.

They got one of the best chances again as a mistake from Kiwior ended up with Neves trying to hit from close to outside the box, but he could not keep the shot down. They got a chance again moments later as Goncalo Ramos found himself in a 1v1 against Raya, but he tried a weird shot to finish it, which did not come off. PSG hung on for the final few minutes and ensured they finished the game as the rightful winners.

For their upcoming fixtures, both teams have inconsequential domestic league matches with Arsenal hosting Bournemouth at the Emirates while PSG will be playing Strasbourg away from home. Here are the Arsenal vs PSG player ratings.

Arsenal Player Ratings

GK- David Raya – 7.5/10

Despite conceding an early goal, he looked assured in the build-up, calmly distributing the ball under pressure. He also made some big saves to keep his side in the match.

RB- Jurrien Timber – 5/10

He showed some early aggression and made many cynical fouls, which gave Kvaratskhelia a psychological advantage over him and disrupted the rhythm of his team.

CB- William Saliba – 7/10

His elegance, especially on the ball, made Arsenal more dominant during possession. His communication was evident, as he kept the backline tight.

CB- Jakub Kiwior – 5/10

It was a rough game for him as he struggled to keep up with the intensity of the attackers of PSG and, as a result, made blunders that cost his side.

LB- Myles Lewis-Skelly – 8/10

The youngster did not look out of place at all, not being afraid to go head-to-head with Hakimi effectively. He was also very calm and clever during possession, where he picked the right pass almost every time.

CM- Martin Odegaard – 5/10

While he displayed composure, he was almost invisible for most of the match and struggled to create chances like he usually does.

CM- Declan Rice – 7.5/10

He positioned himself smartly to intercept the passes of PSG players, and his set-piece threat was evident when his fantastic delivery got his team the goal, which unfortunately got ruled out.

CM- Mikel Merino – 6/10

He covered the ground running from box to box tirelessly, but he could not unlock the PSG’s defense with his passing. He did score a header to get a goal, but it rightfully got chalked off for offside.

RW- Bukayo Saka – 6/10

While he unfortunately got booked in a controversial moment, he had some flashes of creativity, which did not lead to anything worthwhile.

ST- Leandro Trossard – 5/10

Despite having some experience playing as a striker, he struggled a lot to hold the ball and provide it to others.

LW- Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10

While he threatened the PSG defense, making fiery, pacy runs behind their defense, he did not have the clinical shooting in his locker to finish them off well.

SUB- Ben White – NA

The centreback entered the pitch for the final ten minutes of the match to replace the struggling Timber.

SUB- Ethan Nwaneri – NA

The young attacker got the final few minutes to try to make something happen.

Manager- Mikel Arteta – 6/10

While they conceded an early goal, his side did a decent job of staying in the game and fighting for the equaliser, but he did not have any answers to how to deal with PSG’s system. He also had a very weak bench to make some radical changes.

Also Read: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City Player Ratings: Pep Guardiola’s Side Storm Into FA Cup Final With Decisive Win

PSG Player Ratings

GK- Gianluigi Donnarumma- 8/10

Another fantastic Champions League night for him, as he looked self-assured, making some big saves to deny Arsenal from scoring.

RB- Achraf Hakimi – 7/10

His electric runs down the right flank unsettled the backline of Arsenal, especially Timber. While his crosses did not land like he expected, his other contributions overshadowed it.

CB- Marquinhos – 6.5/10

He was a rock-solid barrier for that backline, making some crucial saves and composed blocks in tight spaces.

CB- Willian Pacho – 6/10

While the young centreback practiced and showed maturity in multiple instances, he was also erratic on some occasions.

LB- Nuno Mendes – 7/10

He was a reliable presence on the left flank, guarding the defense from wide attackers, especially Saka, and played a key role in the buildup play for PSG.

CM- Joao Neves – 7/10

He looked like a cheat code on a lot of occasions, showcasing some of the most ridiculous plays to the whole world. His engine and physicality breathed life into this midfield

CM- Vitinha – 7.5/10

He was the heart of the midfield as he provided balance to it, connecting the defensive structure to the attackers to help his side maintain the rhythm, but he lacked some incisive balls forward.

CM- Fabian Ruiz – 7/10

He was running tirelessly and showing a hunger to win the ball. He even got onto the end of some tasty chances and could have had his name on the scoresheet.

RW- Désiré Doué – 7/10

While he did well to drive the ball forward and show some flashes of creativity, winning fouls in key areas, he failed to make a continuous impact.

ST- Ousmane Dembele – 8/10

He was a constant threat with his blistering pace, accompanied by his fantastic eye for goal, which was evident when he broke the deadlock within three minutes.

LW- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 8.5/10

It was an electric performance on that flank from him, toying with defenders, dropping deep occasionally, linking up excellently with his teammates. He justified the “Kvaradona” tag with that outing.

SUB- Bradley Barcola – 5.5/10

With the team struggling to create chances, he entered the pitch in place of Dembele, who was struggling with a medical problem. He could have gotten himself on the scoresheet, but he missed easy chances.

SUB- Goncalo Ramos – 5.5/10

He entered the pitch in place of Desire Doue as part of an attacking change to retain the lead. He could have gotten himself on the scoresheet, but he missed easy chances.

SUB- Warren Zaire-Emery – NA

The young, versatile midfielder entered the pitch in the final minutes to see the game out.

Manager- Luis Enrique – 8/10

Another fantastic result away from home as they looked incredibly dangerous. Their fluidity in rotating positions and finding holes became a huge problem for Arsenal to deal with. He made timely substitutions to keep the tempo high.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

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