Havertz and Saka punish PSG in statement European win for Arsenal 

The opening goal came when a brilliant run and cross from Trossard on the left found his German team-mate Havertz leaping and almost hovering to beat Donnarumma to the punch and glance in with great skill and composure

Kai Havertz scored his fifth goal of the season for Arsenal against PSG

The bloated much derided new format of an already long-winded Champions League format briefly felt like a brilliant brainwave going into this match. Decades of drab group games here have rarely matched the electric atmosphere of Arsenal’s first home ‘league’ fixture of the season last night. And when all was said and done by Mikel Arteta’s men, with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka to savour, the victory felt significant.

Quite rightly billed as two European giants, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain also share the same shame of being two of the richest clubs never to have won the European Cup in any of its guises. Beaten finalists and winners of lesser European trophies, for sure, but this is the one they both crave. The pressure to win it is keener felt by the Qatari-owned French side, which only recently boasted big-money players such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe among their ranks. Forward Ousmane Dembele is possibly the biggest star these days and coach Luis Enrique left him in France over a disciplinary matter. Not that he would have seen much of the ball early on as Arsenal’s high-pressing tactics won them most of the ball.