Mikel Arteta reminisced about his time as a young player at Paris Saint-Germain in the early 2000s before the game.

He expressed his admiration for the coach, Luis Fernandez, who gave him his first meaningful chance as a young player, as well as his enjoyment of playing with Ronaldinho.

The two men had been housemates for 18 months, and Arteta hinted that it was part of his job to keep the intelligent Brazilian from becoming a party animal.

Old habits die hard, it appears. Arteta was it again on Tuesday night when PSG visited north London. Once again, he ruined the fun.

Arsenal defeated Luis Enrique’s French champions in the first half and held them off in the second, despite a late rally.

 

Arsenal continued their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable win over PSG

 

Kai Havertz handed the Gunners into the lead after connecting with Leandro Trossard’s cross

Gianluigi Donnarumma mistimed his attempt to claim before the German forward went home.

It would be lovely to report that Arteta and his teammates partied all night on the pitch, but PSG made them work too hard for it, especially after the break.

However, after drawing at Atalanta last month, Arsenal’s 2-0 triumph made for a very pleasant night.

PSG did not falter, but Arsenal made them appear ordinary and susceptible for long stretches. During the first half, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka twisted their blood.

Arsenal were not at their best, but they didn’t need to be. PSG may not be the favourites to win the Champions League, but they are considered challengers, and Arsenal made defeating them seem easy.

Arteta’s team will next face Shakhtar Donetsk, and they can already look forward to the rest of the Champions League season with confidence.

Their domestic rivalry with Manchester City has overshadowed their chances of winning the competition.

They deserve to be among the favorites. City and Real Madrid appear to be more intimidating than PSG.

Under coach Luis Enrique, PSG has abandoned the Galactico culture that has dictated much of their domestic success since the club was purchased by the Qatari government more than a decade ago.

 

Nuno Mendes had a chance to level before the break but sent his effort wide of the post

 

Bukayo Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead with a direct free-kick from the edge of the penalty box

 

The 23-year-old academy graduate captained his side with Martin Odegaard out injured

The English forward’s strike put the home team truly on top in a contest where they were rarely troubled.

Former PSG lineups included Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe. All of them have now left, and Luis Enrique made a point of attempting to form a team rather than a collection of individuals.

That philosophy was highlighted when he and his team arrived in London on Monday without Ousmane Dembele, the closest thing they have left to a superstar, who had been banned by Luis Enrique due to a disagreement between the two.

However, PSG’s philosophy could not mask Arsenal’s superiority. It was a cautious, cagey start, but despite PSG’s possession advantage, Arsenal’s work had more conviction and threat.

After a quarter of an hour, Arsenal’s pace and intent increased. Havertz escaped on the right overlap and slid a ball across the face of the goal, which PSG hacked away, but their resistance lasted only a short time.

Leandro Trossard had also began to appear threatening, and after 20 minutes, he surged through the PSG middle before checking inside. He looked up, saw Havertz make a move, and curved a wonderful cross in his direction.

Havertz rose to meet it, and despite the fact that he could see Gianluigi Donnarumma’s massive bulk thundering towards him to clear the danger, Havertz remained focused on the ball and nodded it past the goalkeeper as he punched thin air.

Seven minutes later, however, PSG came close to leveling the score. Their excellent Portuguese left defender Nuno Mendes performed a one-two with Bradley Barcola before unleashing a twisting left-foot shot that curled away from David Raya and clipped the outside of the post.

A minute later, Arsenal had another escape when Achraf Hakimi, PSG’s other full-back, outpaced Riccardo Calafiori down the right and closed in on Raya. Hakimi attempted to blast his shot through Raya at the near post, but Raya was equal to it, deflecting it behind for a corner.

 

Arsenal deserve to be counted among the favourites like Manchester City and Real Madrid (pictured, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti)

 

Mikel Merino got his first minutes as an Arsenal player after recovering from a shoulder injury

 

Luis Enrique’s side may not be one of the front-runners for the Champions League but they are still one of the contenders

 

The Gunners made a statement with their victory on Tuesday night, which really could have been by more than two goals

Arsenal weathered PSG’s flurry of defiance and then went further ahead. Saka was fouled by Nuno Mendes on the touchline and the Arsenal winger took the free kick himself. When he whipped it into the near post, Gabriel Martinelli hurdled the ball, and Thomas Partey and Gabriel both tried to apply a finishing touch.

They both missed it. Donnarumma missed it, too, and the ball bounced into the back of the net. Arsenal’s players ran over to celebrate with Saka, who had begun to exert more and more influence on the game from the Arsenal right. PSG could not cope with him.

Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to put the game out of reach early in the second half when Havertz lifted a flick into the path of Martinelli. Martinelli had time to steady himself for his volley and even though he struck it sweetly, it was too close to Donnarumma, who clutched it at the second attempt.

A huge cheer rang around the ground midway through the half when Arsenal’s highly-rated summer signing, Mikel Merino, finally ran on to the pitch to make his long-awaited debut for his new club.

Merino had been injured soon after he arrived in England when he sustained a shoulder injury in training when Gabriel fell on him. His return to fitness was another boost for an Arsenal team that has made such a fine start to the season.

His introduction, though, coincided with an intense spell of PSG pressure. Joao Neves thudded a shot into the ground and it bounced over Raya and cannoned off the Arsenal crossbar. Soon after, Raya had to twist in mid-air to keep out a viciously swerving shot from Lee Kang-in.

 

Introduction of Randal Kolo Muani added life to the visitors going forward in the second half

 

But Arsenal’s defence ultimately managed to hold firm and record another clean sheet in Europe

Riccardo Calafiori (right) and Fabian Ruiz (left) clash off the ball following a decision by the referee.

Arsenal was battling to hold possession of the ball, often giving it to PSG, who was threatening to get back into the game. Only a spectacular interception by William Saliba prevented replacement Randal Kolo Muani from scoring with 15 minutes remaining.

Arteta replaced Trossard with Gabriel Jesus to regain control. However, Arsenal faced a penalty claim from PSG after a pass bounced off Barcola and Saliba and hit Calafiori on the arm. The referee rejected the appeals.