Arsenal’s historic 7-1 win: Their greatest European night ever?

Not only was Arsenal’s 7-1 win their biggest-ever scoreline in Champions League history, but it was also the first time any side in the competition had managed to score that many times away in the knockout stages, according to Sports Illustrated.

Six different Gunners found the net in the Netherlands, which surely might also be a record.

Going into this tie, many worried about where the firepower would come from. Instead, Arsenal produced a breathtaking display that has to be debated—where does this night rank among their greatest European trips?

Maybe not as iconic as Thierry Henry running through the heart of a defence at the Bernabéu, or as dramatic as winning a must-win game at the San Siro 5-1, but this wasn’t far off.

Because context is everything.

In a few years, when people look back at this scoreline, they might not recall the state Arsenal were in when they arrived in Eindhoven.

Many Gooners have been left disenchanted after the club failed to strengthen their attack in January. Since the window shut, Arsenal have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and fallen 13 points behind Liverpool. If the Kroenke family needed any further evidence that there were issues in the final third (their manager asking for help was a clue), then a failure to score in three of their four fixtures since deadline day shouldn’t be viewed as a coincidence.

So, realistically, the players know the Champions League is their only real chance left to prevent the club’s trophy drought from extending to six years. How realistic that is depends on how much you rate either of Madrid’s best.

Arsène Wenger’s 2006 finalists finished fourth in the league that campaign, so it can be done.

Yet, Mikel Arteta is an intelligent man. He will privately know that physically, mentally, and emotionally, his young squad are not in ideal condition to cause a shock.

That’s why, under the Spaniard, this was one of his finest hours.

Because Arsenal arrived in the last 16 not looking like the team last seen in the group stage, the one who claimed third place in UEFA’s new format.

Kai Havertz won’t play again this season. Gabriel Jesus will be lucky to feature before 2026.

Bukayo Saka’s first minutes of action in 2025 will have to be gradual. With Gabriel Martinelli also sidelined, Arsenal’s front three options in the last month have been a loanee searching for his confidence, a 17-year-old, and a central midfielder.

The rest of the team are clearly aware of this Achilles heel and have mostly taken responsibility to step up and help. At the City Ground, the effort couldn’t be faulted, but the reality was another occasion where possession did not translate into enough work for the goalkeeper.

This has left the fanbase as divided as they have been at any point in Arteta’s reign.

That’s why the performance against PSV was so special.

Because—perhaps helped by a weekend off—the players once again believed they could share the goals around, and this time, they were rewarded for their faith.

Maybe another 90 minutes of firing blanks and that patience would have faded.

Maybe the relief of seeing Jurrien Timber’s header go in lifted a weight off their shoulders.

Perhaps they sensed the Dutch champions were there for the taking and simply went for their throats.

Has Arteta finally found a system that at least allows his players to trust that they can now create chances? One that doesn’t just rely on Martin Odegaard as the sole creative outlet?

Yes, the skipper needed that second-half performance, and it could be the boost he needed, but he was helped by his peers staying out wide and Declan Rice making runs into the box.

Sometimes, in sport, you need luck.

Luck can include a certain result coming at a time when, as individuals and as a collective, you need an injection of confidence.

Arsenal needed that.

In the long term, it won’t change much.

Not having an out-and-out goalscorer they can trust will always catch up with them, which is why they were never going to be able to put together the winning sequence needed to be champions.

It’s easy to get carried away and let 90 minutes make you forget everything else that’s been happening.

It doesn’t always have to be two extremes. Sometimes, the truth is in the middle.

Arsenal have a very good team. That’s why January hurt—because they are not far from being great.

Yet this display keeps the season alive.

It gives the club a quarter-final to look forward to—nights they want to be part of.

It lets them dream.

Isn’t that what it’s all about?

That’s why this might just be Arsenal’s greatest European trip ever.