Mikel Arteta has explained why he decided to substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly during the first half of Arsenal’s 7-1 Champions League victory over PSV.
The young player was taken off after receiving a yellow card and narrowly avoiding a second booking. Speaking to Amazon Prime, Arteta admitted he wasn’t aware of Lewis-Skelly’s second challenge. “I haven’t seen the second action, but when there is so much noise and you’re playing away from home, I didn’t want to take any risk,” he said.
Arsenal dominated the first half at the Philips Stadion, with goals from Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, and Mikel Merino giving them a commanding lead. PSV managed to pull one back through Noa Lang, but the Gunners remained in control heading into the break.
The second half saw Arsenal extend their lead even further. Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard both found the net shortly after the restart. Odegaard added another in the 73rd minute, and Riccardo Calafiori capped off the performance with a seventh goal just before the 85th minute.
The only setback for Arsenal came in the first half when Lewis-Skelly was substituted after nearly being sent off. Already on a yellow card, he fouled Richard Ledezma deep in Arsenal’s half. While referee Jesus Gil Manzano awarded a free kick, he chose not to issue a second booking. Arteta, opting not to take any chances, replaced Lewis-Skelly with Calafiori in the 35th minute.
After the match, Odegaard praised Lewis-Skelly for handling the substitution professionally. “We’re all behind him. Lewis-Skelly took that really well. He knew it was tricky, being on a yellow and committing a tough challenge,” the Arsenal captain said.
Despite the substitution, Arsenal’s performance was nothing short of spectacular, securing a resounding win in their Champions League campaign.
