LONDON — Arsenal’s Champions League dreams suffered a setback on Tuesday night as they fell 1-0 to Paris St-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Emirates Stadium.
A fourth-minute goal from Ousmane Dembele proved decisive, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side with everything to do in the return leg in Paris.
The French champions dominated early proceedings and capitalised on Arsenal’s disrupted midfield shape, with Dembele exploiting the space between the backline and midfield to fire home past David Raya.
It was a bright and energetic PSG performance, spearheaded by Dembele and Kylian Mbappe, that left Arsenal on the back foot from the first whistle.
Without key midfielder Thomas Partey, who was suspended after picking up a late yellow card in the quarter-final against Real Madrid, Arteta was forced into a significant reshuffle. The Ghanaian international has been instrumental in providing midfield stability and shielding the defence in recent weeks, and his absence was keenly felt.
To cope, Arteta deployed Mikel Merino in a more familiar central midfield role, dropping Declan Rice into a deeper number six position. This shift took Rice away from the more advanced number eight role where he had shone against Madrid, contributing significantly to both attack and defence. Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard was tasked with leading the line up front in place of the out-of-form Gabriel Jesus.
But the tactical twseaks failed to stifle PSG’s early momentum. Dembele’s goal was a textbook example of what Arsenal missed without Partey—positionally aware, defensively solid, and capable of breaking up play before danger materialises.
Dembele ghosted into the pocket between Arsenal’s midfield and defence with ease, controlled a low pass, and rifled his shot into the net to give Luis Enrique’s side a crucial away goal.
Though the Gunners gradually grew into the match and created several decent chances, they lacked the clinical edge in the final third. Gabriel Martinelli tested Gianluigi Donnarumma with a fierce effort, and Trossard went close with a low strike, but neither could find the equaliser.
“We had the chances,” said Arteta post-match. “But at this level, if you’re not precise, you get punished. PSG are a top side with top players.”
Despite the narrow scoreline, the absence of Partey loomed large. His ability to intercept, read the game, and launch quick transitions was sorely missed. Arteta will undoubtedly be pondering whether the early goal could have been prevented with the 31-year-old in the side.
With Partey eligible to return for the second leg, Arsenal will hope his presence can help them overturn the deficit. They will need a commanding performance in Paris if they are to reach their first Champions League final since 2006.
The tie remains finely poised, but Arsenal’s margin for error has all but vanished. For now, the focus shifts to a massive European night at the Parc des Princes next week—one that could define the Gunners’ season.
