DEVASTATING NEWS: coming from Fabrizio Romano, Arteta has blasted one his players calling him the worst on the pitch and disappointing to watch and has announced that the player will not be allowed to play Porto second leg game. He said ” since yesterday that game is on repeat on my mind and I find hard to understand why he didn’t follow the instruction but ended up exposing our weakness and our opponents got the best part of us”. Arteta has concluded that a disappointing player is responsible for Arsenal’s dreadful defeat against Porto yesterday.

Amidst Arsenal’s disappointing performance, there were some bright spots, notably from Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Declan Rice, as highlighted in our detailed player ratings below.

While the outcome of the match may not be overly detrimental considering the broader context of the tie, Arsenal still need to raise their performance levels against a resilient Porto side to secure advancement.

Despite Arsenal’s lackluster showing, they came close to securing a goalless draw until a late moment of brilliance from Porto sealed the victory. However, Porto themselves did not pose significant threats, suggesting that Arsenal can potentially leverage the support of their home crowd in the return fixture to secure a more comfortable overall win.

Notably, key figures Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli struggled to make an impact in this match. Saka, in particular, failed to replicate his recent dynamic performances, while Martinelli’s decision-making was questionable, ultimately leading to Porto’s decisive goal. Ben White also fell short of his usual standards, with Porto exploiting opportunities on his side of the pitch.

Similarly, Jakub Kiwior, despite recent strong performances, failed to impress in this match, underscoring Arsenal’s reliance on the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko. William Saliba’s performance was decent but could have been better, especially considering a missed header opportunity. In contrast, Gabriel Magalhaes stood out as one of Arsenal’s stronger defenders, showcasing sharpness and resilience.

Declan Rice’s early booking appeared to dent his confidence, affecting his ability to assert dominance in midfield as usual. Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard displayed his class with exquisite passing and touches throughout the game, although he lacked support from the attacking players ahead of him. Kai Havertz, known for his versatility and composure in big games, maintained a steady presence despite not having his best night overall.