It was a stunning night at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal dismantled Real Madrid 3-0, putting one foot firmly in the Champions League semi-finals.
Declan Rice took all the headlines, channelling his inner David Beckham and scoring two world-class free kicks, sending the Arsenal fans into raptures on an unforgettable night in North London.
The Englishman looked every bit the free-kick specialist, though remarkably, these were the first two free-kick goals of his professional career.
Auxiliary striker Mikel Merino continued his fine form, whipping home a third and capping off a dominant display.
Much of the pre-game talk focused on Arsenal’s injury woes, with both recognised strikers and Gabriel Magalhães sidelined, but the Gunners dominated from start to finish in a way few expected.
While Rice rightfully stole the spotlight with his set-piece brilliance, Arsenal’s defence was equally as impressive, thwarting Real Madrid’s star-studded attack.
William Saliba was sensational against Real Madrid
Tasked with having to stop an attack including the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior may seem impossible.
However, the Gunners’ defence made it all seem quite easy, limiting Los Blancos to virtually no clear-cut chances.
At the heart of this robust defensive display was French centre-back William Saliba.
He rarely looked phased and he was as composed as ever, effortlessly stifling every attack.
Early on in the game, Vinicius Junior was charging down the left on a dangerous counter-attack, but Saliba sprinted across to intercept his pass, preventing what would’ve been a certain goal for Mbappe.
The Frenchman’s usual partner Gabriel was out injured so Jakub Kiwior stepped up and slotted in seamlessly.
Saliba’s Champions League game by numbers
The Frenchman was simply flawless at the Emirates.
The 24-year-old had a 98% passing accuracy, helping the Gunners easily play their way out of Madrid’s lacklustre press.
He made 6 recoveries, the most on the pitch, allowing Arsenal to maintain possession and pin Madrid into their half.
But perhaps most impressively, he wasn’t dribbled past once, highlighting his exemplary one-on-one defensive ability.
The Gunners head to the Bernabeu next Wednesday with a three-goal cushion, hoping to make their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
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