The Gunners failed to score in a UCL home game for the first time since a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the last 16 in February 2016, prompting Mikel Arteta to say after the match: "You have to do something special in the competition to have the right to be in the final and the time to do it is going to be in Paris."
Dembele's goal the difference on a frustrating night for Arsenal
Ousmane Dembele's early goal was the difference between the two teams, a goal that was the earliest Arsenal have conceded (three minutes, 15 seconds) in the competition since Edinson Cavani’s for PSG in September 2016 (42 seconds). It's also the earliest they’ve conceded in the knockout stages of the competition.
There were an incredible 26 passes in the build-up to the goal, which is the most for PSG on record in the competition and the most for a goal conceded by Arsenal on record in the Champions League (since 2003/04).
As if to re-emphasise Dembele's turnaround in front of goal this season, only Robert Lewandowski (40), Harry Kane (36) and Kylian Mbappe (34) have scored more goals in Europe's big five league in all competitions this season than the Frenchman (33), though Dembele's 25 goals in 2025 is at least five more than any other player in that time frame.
Had the Ligue 1 side's attackers taken their chances, PSG could've easily been heading away from North London with a two or three-goal cushion, so their profligacy in front of goal at least gives the Gunners something to play for in the second leg.
Arsenal matched PSG in many areas
Tuesday's match was fairly equal in many respects too, giving Arteta the perfect accompaniment to one of the most important team talks he will have ever had to give in Paris.
For example, both sides had seven shots inside the box, five of which were on target for Arsenal, four for PSG.
The visitors' 11 shots in total were just one more than the 10 from Arsenal, whilst a passing accuracy of 85.6% from PSG only bettered the Gunners' 83.8% by the smallest of margins.
Where Arteta is likely to be disappointed is by the inability to make something of the 14 crosses his side had into the PSG box compared to just three from the French side.
Allowing the visitors to win 13 of their 24 tackles would also appear to indicate that there was a reluctance to get stuck in at various points in the game, even if the hosts were able to overrun their visitors with 22 total dribbles during the game.
No shortage of attacking intent is all well and good of course as long as something comes of it. Both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli had three shots from inside PSG's box, the most from a Gunners perspective, yet the latter got only one on target.
Long ball approach doesn't suit Arsenal
What no goals scored after more possession won in the final third than their opponents (four times) and 116 final-third passes tells us is that Arsenal did well to get into the right areas but perhaps just weren't good enough to execute in the big moments.
Interestingly for a team that are lauded for keeping the ball on the ground and playing through the lines, the most final third entries on the night were David Raya's 11, suggesting a long-ball approach which is anathema to all that Arsenal supporters hold dear.
Bukayo Saka, normally so reliable when stroking the ball around, wasn't able to find his teammates as accurately as usual, and his 75.9% pass completion was only better than Mikel Merino's 74.3%. That lack of creativity on the night almost forced Arsenal to look at different ways of attacking, notwithstanding that every player needed to put in a defensive shift to keep PSG at bay.
It shouldn't be forgotten of course that Ethan Nwaneri (18y 39d) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (18y 215d) became the youngest and second-youngest English players (and players from a Premier League side) to appear in a Champions League semi-final.
Whilst neither were overawed by the occasion, nor do they have the big-game experience that would've potentially given them that little bit extra when needed.
Another fascinating stat from the game is that only William Saliba emerges with any credit in terms of clearances. The Frenchman made four across the 90 minutes with Ben White's singular contribution in this regard the only other clearance made by an Arsenal player.
Compare that with the 19 clearances made by seven different PSG players and one gets a clearer picture of where the game was won and lost.
Kudos to Luis Enrique for PSG's emergence as a genuine European force
Sticking with PSG's perspective, although Dembele's pass completion wasn't great (76.9%), having the likes of Vitinha (96.2%) and Desire Doue (95.5%) around him meant that they could cover for the forward's shortcomings.
In many respects this season, that all-round excellence is what's propelled PSG to the brink of European glory. The fact is that they are now, finally, playing like a team rather than a set of individuals, and kudos has to be given to Luis Enrique for that.
The coach will surely be watching the second semi-final with interest given that a side that he took to UCL glory in 2015, Barcelona, play Inter for the right to meet PSG or Arsenal in the final.
However, he might be more concerned with losing Dembele for the return match against the Gunners.
"He'll undergo tests. It's not serious. It's something very minor, but he's probably a doubt for the second leg," he told reporters.
