PSG held a slender first-leg advantage over the Gunners, who came into this clash having never advanced from a European knockout tie after losing the first leg at home in five previous attempts.
Mikel Arteta’s men were eager to change that particular pre-match narrative, making a blistering start in the French capital. Declan Rice headed wide from Jurriën Timber’s cross, before Gianluigi Donnarumma produced two outstanding saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Ødegaard inside the opening 10 minutes.
Luis Enrique’s side managed to weather that early storm and reminded Arsenal of their own immense attacking quality, as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s speculative curling effort rattled against the post.
That was a sign of what was to come, with the opening goal of the night coming courtesy of a wonderful strike by Fabián Ruiz.
Thomas Partey could only head Vitinha’s set-piece into the path of the Portuguese midfielder, who manoeuvred his body brilliantly before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed shot past David Raya for his first-ever UCL goal. Raya then made a fine save of his own to keep out Bradley Barcola’s close-range attempt.
Arsenal were looking for inspiration from somewhere after the break, and it nearly came from Bukayo Saka.
However, Donnarumma was called into action again with yet another incredible save to tip the England winger’s effort away from nestling in the top corner.
But the tie looked to have taken a further twist in the Parisians’ favour when Myles Lewis-Skelly was cruelly penalised for handball as Achraf Hakimi shot towards goal. Raya wronged that perceived injustice with a comfortable save to keep out Vitinha’s spot-kick, with Arteta’s men still alive in this tie.
That hope appeared short-lived, though, as Hakimi dispatched a clinical right-footed strike past Raya to ruthlessly punish Partey for some indecisive defending, moving PSG a huge step closer to the final.
But just when the Gunners looked dead and buried, Leandro Trossard outmuscled Marquinhos and teed up Saka to sweep home from point-blank range.
Still needing another to draw level on the night, Saka spurned a golden opportunity to score again, missing a wide-open goal from Riccardo Calafiori’s cross.
Enrique’s men held on to remain on course for a first-ever UCL triumph, joining Stade de Reims (1956, 1959) and Olympique de Marseille (1991,1993) in reaching multiple finals after a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2020.
Meanwhile, having lost the first leg at home, this result marks a sixth European knockout exit for Arsenal, as Arteta’s side face the prospect of a fifth consecutive season without a major trophy.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
