An early goal from Ousmane Dembele was all that separated the two capital clubs after 90 minutes of their final-four matchup
Arsenal will have to win at Parc des Princes next Wednesday if they are to reach the Champions League final after losing 1-0 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-four tie.
Mikel Arteta's men will have their work cut out in France after playing within themselves for much of the first leg on home soil, with Luis Enrique's side heading back across the Channel with a deserved advantage.
Remarkably, Arsenal went behind inside four minutes. PSG were granted far, far too much time on the ball in the centre of the pitch, allowing Ousmane Dembele to switch play to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with ease. The tricky Georgian was afforded a free run at Jurrien Timber and chose to cut it back for the onrushing Dembele, who swept home to break the deadlock.
The Gunners had to cling on in an incredibly testing first half that later saw David Raya produce a smart save to deny Desire Doue down low, before the hosts had an appeal for a penalty waved away when Mikel Merino fell under a challenge from Joao Neves, though the Portugal midfielder won the ball cleanly.
Towards the end of the first half, Arsenal began to make inroads, with a Bukayo Saka cross touched wide at the back stick by Gabriel Martinelli. Replays suggested the Brazilian was offside anyway, though he was then denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma at close range after being slipped through by Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Within a minute of the restart, Arsenal thought they had their leveller. Rice swung in a free-kick from wide left and it found the head of Merino, who nodded past a stranded Donnarumma. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the Spaniard was judged to have been offside and the goal was chalked off.
Arteta's men had found their groove at last, though, and Leandro Trossard came close to equalising soon after, only for Donnarumma to push his low effort wide off the last lick of paint of the post.
PSG could have put the tie out of sight with a typically flowing move in the final 10 minutes as Bradley Barcola's give-and-go with Goncalo Ramos sent the winger through with Raya, but he dragged his effort wide. Ramos then smashed the crossbar seconds later when one long ball over the top undid Arsenal.
The first leg was brought to a close after five minutes of injury time as the Gunners failed to muster up another opportunity of note.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates…
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David Raya (6/10):
Came up with some vital saves when called upon and was always willing to test the effectiveness of PSG's high line with his long kicks.
Jurrien Timber (5/10):
Put in a torture chamber by Kvaratskhelia during the opening exchanges, though recovered well after that and ensured he wouldn't be beaten on pace alone.
William Saliba (6/10):
A little nervy in possession but came up with some important defensive stops, most notably using his long right leg to beat Hakimi to a pass in behind from Dembele with only Raya left to beat.
Jakub Kiwior (5/10):
Found it tough coping with the quick feet of Dembele, which there's no shame in especially considering how fantastic the Frenchman has played this season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10):
The boy among men looked like a man among boys. One of few Arsenal players who rose to the occasion rather than shrinking in it.
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Declan Rice (5/10):
In the pre-match huddle, Rice was caught telling his team-mates 'we die without the ball'. It was ironic his will to back off from Dembele led to the opener, a rare error of judgement on his part having reverted to a more defensive starting position in the absence of Partey. Slowly grew back into the game and regained his confidence when driving with the ball.
Mikel Merino (5/10):
Months of becoming one of Europe's hottest strikers must have done some damage to Merino's midfield circuits. Often appeared lost in central areas rather than attacking the box as he so often has done to perfection of late. Would have been on the scoresheet if he stood a few inches back on Rice's free-kick to start the second half.
Martin Odegaard (4/10):
Arsenal needed their playmaker captain to pick the lock, though was unable to come up with any sort of workable solution. Sometimes faded into the background, sometimes made matters worse by getting involved and disrupting attacks.
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Bukayo Saka (6/10):
The only Arsenal attacker who tried to take on some sort of responsibility in the final third. Unfortunately, his team-mates were never quite on the same wavelength.
Leandro Trossard (5/10):
Drew frustration from the stands for taking lots of touches in deeper areas as opposed to closer to the PSG box. Caused some headaches for the visitors in the second half at least.
Gabriel Martinelli (5/10):
Had the run on Hakimi yet seldom used this to his advantage. A quieter evening than the Brazilian would have liked.
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Ben White (N/A):
Replaced Timber for the final eight minutes plus added time.
Ethan Nwaneri (N/A):
Afforded little time to make an impact in place of Odegaard.
Mikel Arteta (5/10):
Arsenal's unwillingness to act as the game's protagonists early on effectively decided the first leg. There's work to do in Paris.
