The day before the match, Mikel Arteta relived some of the happy times he spent as a young player at Paris Saint-Germain in the early 2000s.
He spoke of his respect for the coach, Luis Fernandez, who gave him his first real chance as a young player, and he spoke of the pleasure of playing with Ronaldinho.
The two men were roommates for 18 months and it was part of his job, Arteta said, to keep the party animal in the brilliant Brazilian at bay.
Old habits die hard, it seems. Arteta was there again last night when PSG came to North London. There he was, again, spoiling the fun.
It was a miserable evening for Luis Enrique and his French champions as Arsenal brushed them aside in the first half and kept them at bay in the second half as they rallied.
Arsenal continued their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable win over PSG
Kai Havertz gave the Gunners the lead after connecting with a cross from Leandro Trossard
Gianluigi Donnarumma mistimed his attempt to claim before the German striker headed home
It would be nice to say that it was Arteta and his players partying all night on the pitch, but PSG made them work too hard for that, especially after the break.
But after starting this season’s Champions League campaign with a draw against Atalanta last month, this 2-0 win made it a very satisfying evening for Arsenal.
PSG didn’t wilt, but Arsenal made them look ordinary and vulnerable for long periods. In the first half, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka spilled the beans.
Arsenal weren’t at their best, but they didn’t need to be. PSG may not be favorites to win the Champions League, but they are considered among the contenders and Arsenal made beating them look relatively routine.
Arteta’s side play Shakhtar Donetsk next and can already approach the remainder of the Champions League campaign with considerable optimism.
So much attention has been paid to their domestic rivalry with Manchester City that their pretensions to win this competition are sometimes overlooked.
They deserve to be among the favorites. With City and Real Madrid, they, and not PSG, look like a team to fear.
Under coach Luis Enrique, PSG have turned their backs on the galactico culture that has defined much of their domestic success since the club was bought by the state of Qatar more than a decade ago.
Gone is the era when PSG lineups consisted of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. They have all left now and Luis Enrique had made it a point to build a team rather than a collection of individuals.
That principle was underlined when he and his team arrived in London on Monday without Ousmane Dembele, the closest thing they have to a superstar, after he was banned by Luis Enrique following a disagreement between the two.
Nuno Mendes had the chance to level the score before half-time, but shot his effort wide of the post
Bukayo Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead with a direct free kick from the edge of the penalty area
The 23-year-old academy graduate captained his side while Martin Odegaard was out injured
However, PSG’s philosophy could not disguise Arsenal’s superiority. It was a slow, cagey start, but although PSG had more possession, there was greater conviction and threat to Arsenal’s work.
After fifteen minutes, Arsenal’s pace and intent accelerated. Havertz escaped on the overlap on the right and slid a ball across the goal that PSG chopped away, but their resistance did not last much longer.
Leandro Trossard also started to look dangerous and after twenty minutes he accelerated through the PSG midfield and checked inside. He looked up, saw Havertz running, and curled a beautiful cross into his path.
Havertz rose to meet him and even though he felt the huge body of Gianluigi Donnarumma thundering towards him in an attempt to clear the danger, Havertz kept his eyes on the ball and nodded it past the goalkeeper as he passed through the air punched.
Seven minutes later, however, PSG almost leveled. Their brilliant Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes played a one-two with Bradley Barcola, unleashing a bending left-foot shot that curled away from David Raya and hit the outside of the post.
Arsenal were able to escape again a minute later when PSG’s other full-back, Achraf Hakimi, beat Riccardo Calafiori for pace on the right and crossed to Raya. Hakimi tried to hit his shot through Raya at the near post, but Raya was level and finished it behind for a corner.
Arsenal withstood PSG’s resistance and then moved on. Saka was fouled by Nuno Mendes on the touchline and the Arsenal winger took the free kick himself. As he hit the ball against the near post, Gabriel Martinelli swung the ball, and Thomas Partey and Gabriel both tried to apply a finishing touch.
They both missed it. Donnarumma also missed it and the ball bounced into the back of the net. The Arsenal players ran over to celebrate with Saka, who was increasingly influencing the game from Arsenal’s right. PSG couldn’t handle him.
Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to put the game out of reach early in the second half when Havertz curled a tap into the path of Martinelli. Martinelli had time to compose himself before his volley and although he hit it sweetly, he was too close to Donnarumma, who grabbed him on the second attempt.
Midway through the half, there was a huge cheer from the ground as Arsenal’s prized summer signing Mikel Merino finally ran onto the pitch to make his long-awaited debut for his new club.
Merino was injured shortly after arriving in England when he suffered a shoulder injury during training when Gabriel fell on him. His return to fitness was another boost for an Arsenal team that has made such a good start to the season.
The introduction of Randal Kolo Muani brought life to the visitors in the second half
But Arsenal’s defense eventually managed to hold on and keep another clean sheet in Europe
Mikel Merino got his first minutes as an Arsenal player after recovering from a shoulder injury
However, his introduction coincided with an intense period of PSG pressure. Joao Neves blasted a shot into the ground, which bounced over Raya and ended up on Arsenal’s crossbar. Shortly afterwards, Raya had to spin in the air to avoid a vicious swerving shot from Lee Kang-in.
Arsenal now struggled to keep the ball and continually ceded possession to PSG, who threatened to fight their way back into the match. Only an excellent interception from William Saliba stopped substitute Randal Kolo Muani from sweeping the ball home with 15 minutes remaining.
Arteta brought on Gabriel Jesus for Trossard in another attempt to inject new energy into his team and regain control, but Arsenal soon had to survive a huge PSG appeal for a penalty after the ball bounced clear following a challenge between Barcola and Saliba and Calafiori hit. the arm. The referee waved away the appeals.