4 standout Arsenal players from emphatic Champions League victory

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<p>&mdash; Bukayo Saka (@BukayoSaka87) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://twitter.com/BukayoSaka87/status/1704606362418700552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 20, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Arsenal fans have been dying to see their starboy in the Champions League ever since his debut, and he more than lived up to the occasion. Saka&#8217;s goal was very well taken, deftly finishing from an acute angle.</p> <p>His assist to Trossard was also smart and tidy, capping off a beautiful and lethal counter-attack started by Jesus.</p> <p>Outside of his goal and assist, he was constantly threatening down the right flank. Whenever he got into a one-on-one with Sergi&ntilde;o Dest, he had the beating of the PSV full-back.</p> <p>For someone who hasn&#8217;t had the best possible start to the season, at least by his standards, Saka is currently sitting on six G/A in six starts. He always contributes, and Arsenal fans should be very grateful that Bukayo Saka plays for their club.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;#2 standout performer </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gabriel Jesus genuinely one of the best players in the world</p> <p>&mdash; Rimedi (@r1medi) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://twitter.com/r1medi/status/1704581336093057380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 20, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <h2>2. Gabriel Jesus</h2> <p>I&#8217;ve always been a big Eddie Nketiah fan, but Gabriel Jesus has to start ahead of him. Jesus was sensational both offensively and defensively. Always popping up in the right place, he was an absolute joy to watch on Wednesday.</p> <p>His goal was brilliantly taken, with a beautiful first touch giving him the time to pick his spot and whack it in. In truth, on another day he could&#8217;ve gotten more goals and assists but he was constantly a danger to PSV.</p> <p>His tricks, flicks and skills are phenomenal. Whenever he had the ball, it felt like a piece of magic was coming, and he just has such a high footballing IQ. He truly looked incredible on the Emirates pitch.</p> <p>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;#3 standout performer </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p>https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1704594190057836952</p> <h2>3. Martin Odegaard</h2> <p>Champions League nights look really good on Martin Odegaard. The skipper was at the heart of the Arsenal midfield, and though there were some instances of sloppiness, there were far more moments of brilliance.</p> <p>The Norwegian found some very intricate passes, putting in Jesus and Saka time and time again. It was his shot that was saved in the eighth minute when the keeper palmed the ball into Saka&#8217;s path.</p> <p>He then capped off the performance with a rifle into the bottom left corner of the goal. After receiving Reiss Nelson&#8217;s pass, he first eliminated the defender with a little fake shot dummy before shimmying into space and pinging the ball into the net.</p> <p>Although he&#8217;s a very intricate player, Odegaard is well-suited to play against teams that give Arsenal a little more time and space than Premier League opponents. He&#8217;s also added a dangerous long shot to his arsenal. He was always capable of the long shot, but recently, it has levelled up.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;#4 standout performer </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rolls Royce &#128170; <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://t.co/B0ubNBnbP8">https://t.co/B0ubNBnbP8

<p>&mdash; DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://twitter.com/DailyAFC/status/1704608251076022367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 20, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <h2>4. William Saliba</h2> <p>How good is William Saliba?</p> <p>The French defender was absolutely exquisite on his Champions League bow. With a very aggressive Arsenal press, Saliba was left with a lot of space to cover, but you wouldn&#8217;t have guessed it watching him play.</p> <p>He won every single one of his duels, dominated in the air and played with such swagger and confidence that I couldn&#8217;t help but laugh while watching the game. How can a 22-year-old play with such poise and control in defence and play so comfortably on the ball?</p> <p>His highlight came in the second half. Running back as the last man, it looked as if he&#8217;d miscontrolled the ball and let a PSV attacker in. Instead, he got the ball under control, turned and then dribbled past an onrushing opponent with a beautiful piece of skill. It was a wonderful showcase of who Saliba is as a player and believe me, it doesn&#8217;t get better than this young centre-back.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="5RYaP6hQQE"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/arsenal-4-0-psv-talking-points/">Arsenal 4-0 PSV: 3 talking points from Gunners&#8217; sensational UCL return</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="&#8220;Arsenal 4-0 PSV: 3 talking points from Gunners&#8217; sensational UCL return&#8221; &#8212; Pain in the Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/4-standout-arsenal-players-4-0-psv/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/21/arsenal-4-0-psv-talking-points/embed/#?secret=CpqKfDYwP1#?secret=5RYaP6hQQE" data-secret="5RYaP6hQQE" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>It is harsh not to include goal scorer and assister Leandro Trossard, but I think these four players were a cut above on the night despite a brilliant performance from the Belgian. Hopefully, he carries that form into the North London Derby on Sunday.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">