Paris Saint-Germain’s new tactical look allowed them to come out with a 1-0 advantage in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal against Arsenal, while a little bit of individual brilliance played a major role in Tuesday’s game.
Ousmane Dembele continued his career-best form with his 32nd goal of the season across all competitions, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s assist proved he has been a game-changing addition for the Parisians since his arrival in January. Gianluigi Donnarumma also stood out for Luis Enrique’s side, making five crucial saves as he left London with a clean sheet and helped ensure the French champions would have an advantage ahead of next week’s second leg at home.
On the flip side, it was not necessarily a poor outing from Arsenal with Declan Rice excelling once again. It was not the Gunners’ best game, either, though, leaving the first leg with hints of optimism and room for improvement.
Here’s a look at the player ratings for Tuesday’s game.
Arsenal player ratings
|
David Raya (GK) |
90 | He made three saves against an attack-minded PSG side, though he could have done better on the game’s lone goal. |
7.5 |
|
Jurien Timber (DEF) |
83 | He was one of a few Arsenal players who did not have their finest moment when Ousmane Dembele scored, which was costly despite an otherwise fine outing. |
7 |
|
William Saliba (DEF) |
90 | Saliba was solid on a day when Arsenal defended fairly well, but defending this PSG is easier said than done, so while it was not a bad outing for the defender, it was not his best, either. |
7.5 |
|
Jakub Kiwior (DEF) |
90 | Much like Saliba’s outing, Kiwior did what he could against a tactically complex PSG, but it was not necessarily his finest night. | 7 |
|
Myles Lewis-Skelley (DEF) |
90 | Arsenal began to show signs of life about midway though the first half, with Lewis-Skelley joining the attackers and coming up with some exciting forward runs as the Gunners searched for an equalizer. | 7.5 |
|
Martin Odegaard (MID) |
89 | It was a mixed bag from Odegaard, who performed some of his defensive tasks well but added little to the attack. He generated just one chance and was not particularly active in the final third. | 6.5 |
|
Declan Rice (MID) |
90 | Rice was arguably Arsenal’s best player yet again, putting together as strong a defensive shift as possible while ushering forward a lot of attacking chances, especially towards the end. It was a performance that was emblematic of the Gunners’ showing on Tuesday — they went toe-to-toe with PSG but could not totally stump their tactically unique opponents. | 8 |
|
Mikel Marino (MID) |
90 | Merino may be responsible for what once looked like Arsenal’s equalizer, but he put together a lackluster attacking outing that is perhaps reflective of the Gunners’ longstanding offensive issues. | 6.5 |
|
Bukayo Saka (FWD) |
90 | Saka had his moments in attack, especially as Arsenal gained some confidence midway through the first half. There is probably room for improvement, though, after taking just one shot. | 6.5 |
|
Leandro Trossard (FWD) |
90 | Trossard came up with three shots and played a sizable role as Arsenal unsuccessfully looked for an equalizer, putting two on target and generating 0.45 expected goals on his own. | 7.5 |
|
Gabriel Martinelli (FWD) |
90 | Martinelli also registered three shots and mustered an impressive 1.08 expected goals on his own, but he could have done better with some of his opportunities. It’s hard not to argue that he was wasteful, which could be costly. | 6.5 |
|
Ben White (DEF) |
7 | He offered some defensive cover but with such a short shift, it was hard for him to make a real impact. | N/A |
| Ethan Nwaneri (MID) | 1 | Like White, Nwaneri did not play enough to earn a rating. | N/A |
| Mikel Arteta | 2 | Arteta found a way to handle PSG’s unique press, but that was only after they went down 1-0 and his substitution pattern revealed a longstanding, inconvenient truth — Arsenal might not have the attacking might to pull this off. | 7 |
Paris Saint-Germain player ratings
| Name | Minutes | How did they do? | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) |
90 | Donnarumma’s five saves allowed PSG to survive Arsenal’s attacking efforts, ensuring they would have a crucial advantage heading into the second leg at home. |
8.5 |
|
Achraf Hakimi (DEF) |
90 | Hakimi has been one of the standouts in Enrique’s new-look PSG, and that was the case again on Tuesday, when he joined the attack frequently and gave Arsenal’s defense trouble. |
7.5 |
|
Marquinhos (DEF) |
90 | Marquinhos was solid in defense and kept Arsenal at bay in a variety of ways, winning most of his duels and managing five clearances along the way. |
7.5 |
|
Willian Pacho (DEF) |
90 | He had a decent night but of the two center backs, Pacho was noticeably weaker — he was less present than Marquinhos and also did not win a single duel. | 7 |
|
Nuno Mendes (DEF) |
90 | Mendes has paired well with Hakimi for a new-look PSG, and he really stood out on Tuesday by performing both his defensive and offensive tasks well. | 8 |
|
Joao Neves (MID) |
89 | Neves has also been a crucial player in Enrique’s system and demonstrated that on Tuesday, especially with a strong defensive outing that limited Arsenal’s attack. | 8 |
|
Vitinha (MID) |
90 | Vitinha held his own in a game that was all about the midfield battle, though it was a quieter outing than some of his others. | 7.5 |
|
Fabian Ruiz (MID) |
90 | Like Vitinha, Ruiz ensured PSG’s midfield moved as it was menat to in a solid but unshowy performance. | 7.5 |
|
Desire Doue (FWD) |
76 | The 19-year-old earned his start and demonstrated his versatility for a PSG team that has no shortage of attacking options. He did only manage one shot, though it was one that forced an important save out of Raya. | 7 |
|
Ousmane Dembele (FWD) |
70 | If anyone’s making his shots count, it’s this guy. He did not have a ton of shots but he scored the only goal in this tie so far in a move that’s become the new-look PSG’s trademark and is now up to 32 goals this season, making this far and away the best campaign of his career. | 7.5 |
|
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (FWD) |
90 | Kvaratskhelia was, once again, the star of PSG’s show, and not only because of his assist on Dembele’s goal. He makes Enrique’s system really work, giving opposition defenders plenty of trouble. His busy attacking night ensured PSG would return home with the advantage for next week’s second leg. | 8.5 |
|
Bradley Barcola (FWD) |
20 | Barcola came on to help PSG find a second goal and though he managed two shots in 20 minutes, he should have done better with one of them. | 7 |
| Goncalo Ramos (FWD) | 14 | Similarly to Barcola, Ramos was there to assist PSG’s attacking efforts but was not really able to make much of a dent. | 7 |
| Warren Zaïre-Emery (MID) | 1 | Zaire-Emery did not play enough to warrant a rating. | N/A |
| Luis Enrique | 3 | PSG left North London with a win and after showcasing a style of play that makes them one of the best teams in Europe. They were not faultless, though — they found a way to absorb Arsenal’s pressure but arguably played too conservatively during the second half and left themselves vulnerable to the opponent’s attacking effort. | 7.5 |
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