Arsenal secured their first win in the new Champions League format following their 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium in London.

Arsenal dominated at the Emirates Stadium as Havertz headed them ahead and Bukayo Saka added a goal just before halftime.

Arteta’s team went on to four points in their attempt to advance to the tournament’s knockout stage after drawing their first league phase match at Atalanta.

The Gunners, who were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League the previous season and lost to Manchester City in the English title match, are currently undefeated in nine games across all competitions as they look to win on both fronts.

For the final half-hour, Spain’s Mikel Merino, an attacking midfielder, made his much awaited debut, which brought further good news for Arsenal.

With Martin Odegaard out for the season, Merino’s recovery from a shoulder injury sustained in his first training session after joining from Real Sociedad during the offseason was a welcome boost for Arteta.

In the twentieth minute, Havertz gave Arsenal’s constant pressure a reward by scoring the first goal.

Havertz boldly headed past advancing custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma after Leandro Trossard curled a pin-point cross into the six-yard box. Havertz’s run behind the visiting team’s flat-footed defence was perfectly timed.

Havertz, who scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final, had a rough beginning with Arsenal after relocating across London for £65 million ($86 million) the previous year.

But Havertz dismisses the ‘waste of money’ taunts, as only three Premier League players have more total goals and assists across all competitions since the beginning of February.

The absence of France winger Ousmane Dembele, who was substituted in PSG’s victory against Rennes on Friday, after the 2018 World Cup winner was rumoured to have clashed with Luis Enrique, did not help the team’s cause.

Nuno Mendes attempted to give the faltering visitors some forward momentum when his shot from eighteen yards ricocheted off the post and landed safely.

However, Arsenal never lost control, and in the 35th minute Saka extended their lead.

Arsenal has grown deadly from free kicks and corners under the tutelage of its set-piece maestro Nicolas Jover, whereas PSG is infamously weak in that area.

As he curled a free kick towards Donnarumma’s goal, the England striker anticipated a teammate would touch it.

Rather, the ball had just enough spin to get past a group of players and catch Donnarumma, who was sluggish to react, off guard as it zipped into the net.

Before the break, Trossard missed a shot, making PSG’s shaky defence appear more like League One than Ligue 1.

Soon after the break, Donnarumma produced a brilliant save to save Martinelli’s volley, but Joao Neves’ shot went just wide of the bar, giving PSG a chance to rally.

On a soggy evening in north London, Arsenal easily won the game by batting down the hatches in the last moments.