LONDON — Ousmane Dembélé handed Paris Saint-Germain a crucial UEFA Champions League advantage by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 semifinal first-leg win against Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday.
Dembélé, who gave PSG an injury scare by limping off in the second half, now has 45 goal involvements in 45 games this season, and his strike here makes Luis Enrique’s team strong favorites to reach the final in Munich.
But with Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos both missing clear chances to score a second in the final five minutes, PSG let Arsenal off the hook to ensure that the Premier League side can travel to Paris with the hope of a second-leg comeback.
The Gunners had a second-half Mikel Merino goal ruled out for offside and saw PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma make crucial saves from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard to deny the home side a goal.
But although PSG hold a slight advantage, the second leg is still alive after their failure to score a second goal. — Mark Ogden
Dembélé shows Arsenal what they’re missing: a clinical forward
Merino has done a more than passable job of filling in at center-forward for Arsenal following season-ending injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
But Thomas Partey‘s suspension forced Merino back into his orthodox midfield role as Trossard played through the middle, his best moment coming when forcing a brilliant save from Donnarumma 11 minutes into the second half.
Dembélé took his goal brilliantly, finding the net via David Raya‘s left-hand post with the sort of clinical finishing that marks him out as one of Europe’s best. In fact, there is a case to argue right now that he is Europe’s best: Dembélé’s 25th goal is the most by a player in Europe’s top five leagues across all competitions in 2025.
Arsenal’s decision not to pursue a deal for a striker last summer or with more vigour in January — when having one bid rejected by Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins — could arguably be the defining moment in explaining why they fell short in challenging Liverpool for the Premier League title.
They are 90 minutes away from facing the same argument in Europe. — James Olley
PSG claim another win over Premier League opposition
Paris Saint-Germain might be able to make a late claim for the Premier League trophy after edging closer to the Champions League final by beating a fourth English team in this season’s competition.
Luis Enrique’s team had already beaten Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa on the way to meeting Arsenal in their semifinal tie, although an October meeting with the Gunners in the League Phase ended in a 2-0 defeat for the French champions at the Emirates.
PSG made amends for that loss, however, by taking an early lead through Dembélé’s fourth-minute goal and then holding onto their advantage to seal a 1-0 first-leg win. But all is not lost for Arsenal as they prepare to travel to Paris for the second leg next Wednesday.
While City and Villa were well-beaten in the Parc des Princes, Liverpool emerged with a 1-0 away win in the French capital in their Round of 16 tie, only to lose at home and then be eliminated on penalties at Anfield.
Arsenal must now emulate the newly crowned Premier League champions by winning in Paris — against a team that loves beating English teams. — Ogden
Time to give Luis Enrique the respect he deserves
When you think of the great Barcelona Champions League-winning teams from the last decade, you automatically envisage Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, and Pep Guardiola.
But while Guardiola guided Barca to Champions League glory in 2009 and 2011, it was Luis Enrique’s team that secured a treble by beating Juventus in the final in Berlin in 2015, and they did it in just as much style as Guardiola’s side.
Enrique’s team were arguably even more devastating going forward than Guardiola’s side, having added Neymar and Luis Suárez to the front line, but there is no doubt that Enrique does not get the plaudits that Guardiola receives.
Yet with PSG, he has built one of the most exciting teams in the world after making it clear to the club’s owners that it had to be on his terms, even if it meant building without superstars such as Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé.
Enrique has put his faith in youth and technique, and PSG are now the eye-catching, effective team in world football. If he guides PSG to their first Champions League title next month, he will deserve to emerge from Guardiola’s shadow once and for all. — Ogden
Kvaratskhelia outshines Saka
There were many subplots in Arsenal’s quarterfinal win over Real Madrid, and prominent among them was whether Bukayo Saka is ready to join Europe’s elite wingers who routinely compete for the Ballon d’Or. Saka outshone both Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo in both games, and here he was pitched against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian winger who has lit up PSG’s run to their fourth semifinal in six seasons.
It was no contest in the first half. Kvaratskhelia did something not many opponents manage — make Jurriën Timber look a very ordinary defender — and his assist for Dembélé’s opener was just one of several occasions in which he threatened to wreak havoc down Arsenal’s right side.
Saka, who had just four touches in the opening 20 minutes, came infield to get more involved as the first half wore on, and it was no coincidence that Arsenal began to rouse themselves when he was at his most influential.
Yet Saka was unable to affect the game as he would have liked, and he is one of several Arsenal players — along with the unusually quiet Martin Ødegaard — who will need to up their level in Paris next week. — Olley
PSG’s strength in depth no match for Arsenal’s lack of options
Blame it on injuries or the decisions made in squad-building last summer (or both), but Arsenal’s lack of options to turn this game in their favor were exposed by PSG here.
While the visitors introduced Bradley Barcola — a €45 million signing from Lyon in 2023 — and Gonçalo Ramos, — an €80m acquisition from Benfica — the Gunners had four academy graduates on the bench. Admittedly, that included Ethan Nwaneri, the 18-year-old enjoying a breakthrough season, but he was sat alongside Raheem Sterling, — whose loan from Chelsea has been nothing short of a disaster — Kieran Tierney, who will join Celtic on a free transfer this summer, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is available for a transfer at the end of the season.
As it was, Arteta opted to introduce Ben White for Timber until throwing on Nwaneri in stoppage time. There is still a chance for Arsenal to turn this tie around, but a result like this will enhance the feeling that a lack of squad depth could prove their undoing.
Partey will return for the second leg after serving a one-game ban, and his presence was undeniably missed, most obviously for the goal when Nuno Mendes‘ brilliant infield pass to Dembélé carved Arsenal open through midfield. — Olley
