Kai Havertz came off the bench to score a 91st-minute winner as Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.
When the match looked destined for a stalemate, Havertz composedly finished a pass from fellow substitute Gabriel Martinelli to give Arsenal a potentially decisive away advantage ahead of next week’s second leg.
Arsenal had been indebted to goalkeeper David Raya for keeping the scores level. Early on Raya superbly tipped Maxi Araujo’s ferocious shot onto the crossbar and later produced vital saves from Geny Catamo and Luis Suarez to preserve Arsenal’s lead. Arsenal also had a Martin Zubimendi goal ruled out by VAR for an offside against Viktor Gyokeres and created few clear chances until the late winner, but showed defensive resilience to claim a classic European away win.
Player ratings
Sporting: Silva (6), Araujo (7), Inacio (6), Diomande (7), Fresneda (6), Morita (6), Simoes (6), Goncalves (6), Trincao (7), Catamo (7), Suarez (7). Subs: Braganca (6), Nel (6).
Arsenal: Raya (9), White (7), Saliba (7), Gabriel (7), Calafiori (7), Zubimendi (7), Rice (7), Odegaard (7), Madueke (7), Trossard (6), Gyokeres (6). Subs: Havertz (8), Martinelli (7), Dowman (6).
Player of the Match: David Raya
The result offers a positive reaction after consecutive domestic cup defeats to Manchester City and Southampton and puts Arsenal on course for back-to-back Champions League semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history. There was also a historic milestone: 16 years and 97 days old Max Dowman became the youngest English player in Champions League knockout history, second-youngest overall behind Bayern’s Filip Pavic.
Raya: world-class form
Havertz credited Raya after the match. “Unbelievable,” he told Amazon Prime. “He is still underestimated in the world of football but for me, the last two seasons, the best keeper in the world.”
Statistics underline Raya’s impact in Europe: since the start of last season in the Champions League he has conceded 12 goals from shots on target with an expected goals (xG) of 21.07, meaning he has prevented just over nine goals through his saves. The next-best figure in that period is 6.12 from Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. “At the moment he’s phenomenal,” added Mikel Arteta. “He has been extraordinary since he joined us. We are very lucky to have him.”
Arteta: a magic moment
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Amazon Prime he was “very happy” to win away in a difficult stadium against a team with a long home unbeaten run. He said Arsenal had struggled at times to break Sporting’s block and lacked sharper final passes, but a “magic moment from the finishers” ultimately decided the game. “Beautiful and that’s the impact you need when you get to this stage of the season,” he added.
What’s next
Arsenal return to domestic duties with a Premier League trip to Bournemouth before the second leg against Sporting next Wednesday. The winner of this tie will face either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.