Arsenal ended a run of five Champions League away games without a win thanks to an impressive 5-1 thumping of Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Five different scorers rounded off a five-star performance as the Gunners temporarily climbed back into the top eight to strengthen their chances of automatic qualification to the knockout stages.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos made of the action…
Mikel Arteta on his side’s win…
We were so good, you have to be so good in every department and we suffered as well in many moments in the game but we were so effective and so efficient when we start to attack the position and today that was a big difference.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Sporting coach Joao Pereira on a chastening night for the home side…
“The truth is that we didn’t start the game well, we conceded too early, which made the team feel uneasy. Finishing the first half 3-0 down, the players felt it a little. We adjusted a little in the second half, the players had an excellent reaction, then, with the penalty, we conceded the fourth goal and everything became more complicated.
Source: Post-game press conference
Sporting CP (0.97) 1-5 (4.23) Arsenal
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) November 26, 2024
Bukayo Saka on his relationship with Martin Odegaard…
He’s an unbelievable player, the day he returned there was a big smile on my face. You can see the chemistry we have, how much I enjoy playing with him, I’m happy he’s back and I hope he stays fit for the rest of the season.
Source: TNT Sports
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Francisco Trincao on Sporting’s performance…
We knew it would be a difficult match, they managed to have the ball for long spells. We started well in the second half, but then we conceded the fourth goal and the performance dropped a bit. We want to win all of our games, we can’t be losing. We believed we could do better and it’s all about attitude, we changed some little things [in the second half].
Source: Uefa.com
𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐏 𝟏-𝟓 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥
A statement win from Mikel Arteta's Gunners.
Arsenal scored five goals away from home in the UCL for the first time since 2008.
They'd only scored five goals in their eight prior UCL away games combined. pic.twitter.com/KlIpbnG608
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 26, 2024
Uefa’s Technical Panel on awarding Saka the player of the match award…
He showed the capability to create something from nothing and a great individual quality. He worked hard off the ball and found positions to give width to his team. A very complete performance from the left-footed right winger.
Source: Uefa.com
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Martin Hjulmand on Arsenal’s tactics…
When they deployed their striker more like a No10 and sometimes almost like a No8, they had more players in midfield. We could feel that on the pitch, they’re a tough opponent. It didn’t go well, we’re not satisfied and we need to do better.
Source: Uefa.com
Six goals ⚽️
Nine assists 🅰️Bukayo Saka has had a big say in @Arsenal's attacking prowess so far this season! pic.twitter.com/wzdfoyigsR
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 26, 2024
Saka on what he’s most proud about this evening…
I was most proud of not letting the occasion affect us. We knew this was a big game, we lost our last Champions League game and we haven’t won in Europe in many, many games. I don’t remember the last time we even scored a goal away in Europe. So we just went out there with full confidence like that didn’t even happen, we were top today so I’m really proud of that.
Source: Arsenal.com
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Arteta on Thomas Partey’s current form…
I would agree with you, I think it’s one of the best performances I have seen from him, especially the way he’s dominated the game so that’s the level he can play, he’s progressing. This year he’s been so consistent as well because he always has a role, that’s a big thing, he’s a massive player for us.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Kai Havertz on a landmark win…
After last season’s loss against Munich, we wanted to do better, especially in games away from home. Today, we wanted to turn it around, show also that we can win games away from home. I think we did exceptional today and we can be very proud of that.
Source: TNT Sports
William Saliba made his 100th appearance for #Arsenal this evening with only four players registering more wins in their first 100 games for the club than the Frenchman. pic.twitter.com/x374MbCZsi
— Harvey Downes (@HarveyDownes92) November 26, 2024
Rio Ferdinand on Saka’s impact on Arsenal…
We’ve talked, and rightly so, about how much this side has missed Odegaard. But let’s not undercut or undervalue Bukayo Saka. He had the armband at the end of the game there and he could be Arsenal captain without a shadow of a doubt. He doesn’t need the armband, he’s a leader of this team already. He leads them with ability to take the ball all the time, under pressure or no pressure, he wants the ball and to make something happen. His goals and assists, his consistency is through the roof. At Arsenal, the whole place is built for him.
Source: TNT Sports
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Owen Hargreaves on Arsenal’s win…
The old adage is defence wins championships and I think it’s true. Arsenal are built on a stable defence, a brilliant partnership between Gabriel and Saliba and a brilliant goalkeeper in Raya. Defensively solid and they’ve got players at the top of the pitch who can score you goals at any time.
Source: TNT Sports
Each of Gabriel Magalhães' last 8 goals for #Arsenal have been headers, the longest such run for the club since Per Mertesacker (9 in a row between Nov 2012 – Oct 2017).
— Harvey Downes (@HarveyDownes92) November 26, 2024
Arteta on Gabriel’s fitness after he was subbed off late on…
We don’t know because he said he was feeling some discomfort so I was about to make the change of Ras [Raheem Sterling] but I couldn’t make the sub and we had to make other ones.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Havertz on scoring his 100th goal in club football…
I didn’t even know. I just got some messages on my phone, I’m happy about it. I hope to score some more now.
Source: TNT Sports
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Freddie Ljungberg on Gabriel doing Gyokeres’ trademark celebration after scoring…
I think it’s a bit disrespectful. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I think someone else has that target gesture, leave it alone. I don’t like to see it.”
Source: Viaplay Fotball (via Football365)
I love how Saka can play like a maniac on the field and be one of the very top footballers on the planet, and yet be so humble and graceful off the field. So mature for such tender years!
Impossible to not love him.
Five to one, baby! One in Five. No one here gets… out alive. Now, you get yours baby, I’ll get mine. Gonna make it if we try!
Come onnnnnn!!!!
hahaha, johan djourou 3rd on that list! football is awesome and statistics are weird
Legend
heh. Notice the graphic said appearances not starts. With Saliba its all starts; the others not so much.
El Neny too. There’s clearly a factor of what types of games some of these guys were trusted to play that contributes to them being so high on this list. “We’re probably going to win anyway so… Johan, you’re up!” What tells the real story about Wilo is that he is a lynchpin CB higher on the list than Invincible
CB pair Campbell and Toure.
Big Gabi’s celebration was 10/10 top level shithousery.
Sporting bantered Xhakas celebration 2 years ago so fitting retribution.
I didn’t love it to be honest. Disrespecting the opposition like that is a flex for sure but it doesn’t help you. It’s what I call an negative karma moment. You’re just asking for the universe to kick your ass later. If Viktor had been disrespectful earlier that would’ve been one thing but as far as I know he did nothing of the sort. Speaking of the karmic response form the universe, I hope Gabi’s substitution was just precautionary.
I’m very much inclined not to care about the celebration, but equally accept that I would be furious if it was against us. That’s football….
I feel like it would be more appropriate fun shithousery against a team we have an actual rivalry with, not against a club whose resources are dwarved by ours, who we have fairly little history with, at their place and to go up 3-0. Then it starts to feel a bit like classless bullying. Context is everything.
Wasn’t there an incident a couple of seasons ago? So not a rivalry, but a one-to-one retaliation.
Oh didn’t remember that. Fair enough then I suppose.
Agree. Just leave it Gabi. He’s not worth it.
This was a colossal performance. A scoreline like that with resonate not just with this team but even future iterations will remember and take heart from this. Fortifies their sense of superiority and underlines the quality of the work they’ve done to get here. Another statement win after Forest just a few days ago. Tactically it was simple stuff though. In the first half Sporting didn’t apply enough pressure on the ball and left us with numerical superiority on the right. The Odegaard-Saka-Timber pod was further bolstered by Havertz or Rice dropping to that flank with TP as a reference… Read more »
Thomas Party is a king.
Some on here have been so vocal in saying he was hopeless and we needed to sell him. They have been very noticeably by their absence. What a wonderful player he is. If he stays fit we go mighty close.
Purring & Basking.. superb performance, ok it’s one game but we shouldn’t really fear any team in this competition, we haven’t been outplayed by any side in CL this season and look better set up than we did last season where we seemed to have the hand break half on, 3 games left to play, 2 at home v opposition who are below our level, early days but with hopefully a full squad we CAN make history in this tournament