Arsenal vs PSV player ratings: Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard steal the show, Kai Havertz submits his best Arsenal showing yet, and David Raya stakes claim to goalkeeper spot

• Arsenal’s front three shone and Martin Odegaard pulled the strings in midfield
• Kai Havertz showed Mikel Arteta what he has been looking for from his new man 
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off! 

Arsenal returned to the Champions League in storming fashion with a 4-0 win over PSV. 

Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard supplied the goals on a triumphant evening at the Emirates. 

From back to front, this was a dominant performance.

William Saliba and Gabriel were rocks in centre-back and Declan Rice proved why he can be one of Europe’s bets holding midfielders. 

But the real heroes were Odegaard, Saka, and Trossard, who burned brighter than the rest in this clash – not to mention Jesus, who produced a wonderfully composed goal.

Here are Mail Sport’s player ratings, courtesy of Isaan Khan.  

Mikel Arteta watched as Arsenal produced a 4-0 win over PSV in the Champions League

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

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David Raya — 7

Felt as though he had ages on the ball with his feet and showed good handiwork with the slippery ball in wet conditions.

Ben White — 7

Not many attacks came down that right side because of his positioning. A solid display.

William Saliba — 8

No real moments of needed intervention, owing to how well marshalled the backline was as a unit.

David Raya showed good handiwork and distribution in the wet conditions as he was selected over Aaron Ramsdale 

Martin Odegaard oozed class in the centre of the park and performed like a leader for the team 

Gabriel — 7.5

Will have been disappointed at skewing wide a free header on the back-post after 26 minutes. Aside from this, a superb display at the back.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7

Put his fellow defenders under pressure on occasion with aerial passes, but was a threat, as usual, going forward. Also made sure to help out with defensive duties when called upon.

Martin Odegaard — 8

Oozed composure on the ball and effectively linked up play. It was his parried shot that led to the first goal. Nabbed a well-taken goal in the second half. A leader’s performance.

Declan Rice — 8

Resolutely guarded the backline and made sure to nullify drives through the middle of the park by the opposition.

Kai Havertz — 7.5

This was more like the performance Mikel Arteta had been seeking from him. Good hold-up play and quick turns to set other players free in the final third. Promising signs.

Kai Havertz finally put in the kind of performance that Mikel Arteta will want from him 

Bukayo Saka — 8.5

After eight minutes, he had a shot saved. Just seconds later he had opened his, and his team’s account in the Champions League. Then set up Leandro Trossard for the second. He could do no wrong.

Gabriel Jesus – 7.5

His miss at a low cross after 11 minutes was just a warm-up. Got a well-deserved goal and caused the backline nightmares with sheer pace and dribbling which pulled the opposition everywhere.

Leandro Trossard – 8

How can Arteta drop him after this display? A goal and assist, and could have had more on another night. Flawless.

Reiss Nelson was an impactful substitute and put the ball on a plate for Martin Odegaard’s goal 

Subs 

Reiss Nelson – 7

A nice assist for his captain’s goal.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6.5

Not much for him to do upon his entrance on 58 minutes.

Emile Smith Rowe – 6.5

Ran around hard, keen to make an impression, but will have been pleased to get a mini run-out after his lack of game time.

Fabio Vieira – 6.5

Lively in a short cameo. Set-up Havertz, whose shot deflected wide.

Jorginho – 6.5

By his introduction on 76 minutes, the game had already been wrapped up.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

Your browser does not support iframes.

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