Arsenal win vs PSG 'raises belief' as Mikel Arteta hopes for domino effect

Mikel Arteta is over the moon after Arsenal’s triumph over Paris Saint-Germain which he says will fuel his squad with the burning conviction they can topple any giant in pursuit of European silverware.

The north London outfit blew their French opponents away in the opening 45 with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka finding the net.

Following their robust first-half show, Artetas lads cruised through the remainder of the match with seasoned composure to secure the victory and issue a formidable challenge to any contender on the continental stage.

“It raises the confidence and the belief that we can compete with any team at that level in European competition,” an elated Arteta reacted.

“We showed a lot of maturity in the way that we played, and we put our stamp on the way we want to behave in Europe against the top teams.

“The players feel that we are going in the right direction. They believe in what we are doing, which is a great sign.

“It is a night to be really happy because we played one of the best teams in the world, and to be able to perform and win in the way that we did is a really good sign for this team.”

Leandro Trossard delivered a laser-sharp cross, met by Havertz’s head the German not faltering even as Gianluigi Donnarumma charged towards him giving the Gunners a lead at the 20-minute mark.

Saka won a free-kick close to the touchline, and it was from his set piece that allowed Arsenal to amplify their lead before the halftime whistle had even sounded.

Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey, and defender Gabriel all jostled to connect with Saka’s whipping set-piece, yet it sailed out of reach, not just bypassing the Arsenal trio but also leaving the PSG backline scrambling and beating Donnarumma.

Arteta beamed with pride as he reflected on his team’s performance, declaring: “The players wanted to prove a point against this top team, that we can be ourselves and we can be very dominant.

“It is another step. It creates a special night against a big club and that belief lifts the energy and the spirits of everybody.

“First, you have to believe you can face those incredible teams, and you have a really good chance to beat them, and then that you are good enough to do that, so this result will be very helpful for us.”

PSG, who had marched through the season unbeaten until Tuesday, saw their manager Luis Enrique, minus the services of Ousmane Dembele, concede that Arsenal was worthy of the victory.

Enrique avoided pointing fingers when quizzed about Donnarumma’s reaction to Saka’s free-kick: “In all honesty, I am not here to put the blame on anyone. If anyone is to blame, it is me. I am responsible for this.

“Donnarumma and his colleagues were far from the standards required. Our rivals were better, in terms of pressure and intensity, and they won every duel.

“It is impossible to come out of the game with a positive result if you don’t win any duels. From the first minute, Arsenal were superior to us.”