Arsenal make UCL history with 7-1 rout of PSV

Arsenal rattled in three goals in a 13-minute spell in the first half and then ruthlessly added four more after the break as they made Champions League history with a 7-1 win at PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their last-16 tie Tuesday.

The win was the largest by a road team in a Champions League knockout game and Arsenal's biggest victory away from home in any Champions League match.

Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, followed by a strike from teenager Ethan Nwaneri before Mikel Merino added the third in the 31st minute.

The Dutch champions pulled one back from a Noa Lang penalty for a 3-1 half-time deficit, but two goals in the opening three minutes of the second half reinforced Arsenal's dominance, with captain Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard adding their names to the scoresheet.

Ødegaard got his second goal in the 73rd minute before substitute Riccardo Calafiori netted five minutes from time to complete the rout as Arsenal became the first team to score seven goals in an away Champions League knockout game.

They dominated from the start, although the hosts should have taken the lead in the 16th minute when a cross from Ivan Perisic was palmed away by goalkeeper David Raya into the path of Ismael Saibari, who rattled the crossbar from close range.

Two minutes later, a clever turn and left-foot cross from Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice saw Timber tower above Lang at the back post to head home and begin the deluge.

The left side of the Gunners' attack also provided the second goal as Myles Lewis-Skelly played in a square pass that Nwaneri ran onto and slammed home from point-blank range.

Lewis-Skelly was then fortunate to avoid being sent off for a second yellow card after a clumsy challenge that provoked furious protests from the PSV players and bench.

Merino's contribution came after Timber's persistence as the Netherlands defender tried to weave his way into the PSV box.

The home side battled to stop him, but when the ball spilt free, defender Ryan Flamingo did not clear properly and Merino snapped up the chance to place the ball in the far corner.

Arsenal gave away a penalty three minutes from half-time when Thomas Partey's outstretched arm caught PSV captain Luuk de Jong around the neck and Lang converted the spot kick.

But any hopes of a recovery were snuffed out after the break as PSV goalkeeper Walter Benítez gifted Ødegaard a goal when he pushed Nwaneri's cross straight at the Norwegian and within 60 seconds a clever dink from Trossard over Benitez made it 5-1.

Ødegaard fired home the sixth goal and then provided a perfect pass for Calafiori to net at the end of a storming run on a night when everything went right for the visitors.

Arsenal failed to score in their last two Premier League games, but Rice, who put on a storming midfield performance, said the nature of their victory was no surprise.

"We feel we've been playing well as a team. Sometimes we score five, sometimes two, sometimes we don't score but tonight we did well."

It was the first time PSV had conceded seven goals at home and also the first time any Dutch club had let in seven in a European tie.

"They were simply better than us in everything," said PSV defender Olivier Boscagli. "We let them play. And that's what they wanted to do. We were constantly running after them."

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.