In a high-stakes Champions League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon, Arsenal delivered a gritty 1-0 away win over Sporting CP on Tuesday, as Kai Havertz struck a dramatic last-minute winner to lift the Gunners out of a recent rut of back-to-back defeats.
Mikel Arteta’s side arrived at the iconic José Alvalade Stadium still reeling from two disappointing knockout losses just days prior: a defeat to Manchester City in the English League Cup final, followed by an embarrassing FA Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of second-tier Southampton. This marked the first time in the 2023-24 campaign that Arsenal had fallen in consecutive matches, and questions surrounding the club’s mental toughness and title credentials had quickly resurfaced.
For much of the match, Arsenal failed to hit their top form, struggling to break down Sporting’s compact defensive block. The Portuguese side, who entered the tie with a 17-match home winning streak and were playing in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 1983, looked dangerous on the counter-attack, forcing goalkeeper David Raya into two critical first-half saves to keep the game goalless. The Spanish shot-stopper, returning to the starting lineup after missing two prior matches, palmed away a stinging long-range strike from Maxi Araujo that clipped the crossbar, then smothered a low effort from Geny Catamo from a tight angle inside the box.
Arsenal’s attacking play remained disjointed for most of the first half. It took the Gunners 42 minutes to register their first shot on target, with captain Martin Ødegaard’s long-range effort comfortably held by Sporting keeper Rui Silva. Arteta’s side showed signs of improvement after the break: Leandro Trossard dragged a chance wide from 18 yards, and Ødegaard came close to catching Silva out with a well-struck free kick shortly after half-time. Late in the second half, Raya produced another key stop to deny Catamo’s flicked header from Luis Suárez’s cross, keeping the clean sheet intact ahead of Arsenal’s late winner.
Arteta’s substitutions proved the difference in stoppage time. Fellow substitute Gabriel Martinelli played a perfectly weighted lobbed pass over Sporting’s backline, and Havertz timed his run to beat the offside trap before slotting a clinical finish past Silva from 10 yards out. The goal sent Arteta and the Arsenal bench into raptures, securing a crucial first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium on 15 April.
After the match, Arteta acknowledged his side’s lack of attacking fluency, praising his players’ grit to secure a result when they were not at their best. “We had to be a little bit crisper, faster, more efficient to break them down when they had that block,” Arteta told reporters. “We had a goal disallowed and there were two or three occasions where we were close but we lacked that final pass. In the end a magic moment from the finisher won us the game. It’s beautiful and that’s the impact you need when you get to this stage of the season. Everybody has to make an impact and they certainly did that tonight.”
The Arsenal manager reserved special praise for Raya, whose defensive heroics kept the Gunners in the game: “He had two moments where he made two big saves. At the moment he’s phenomenal and extraordinary since he joined us. We are very lucky to have him.”
The hard-fought win serves as a timely response to critics who have questioned Arsenal’s mentality following their recent losses. Entering this tie, the club had faced ongoing scrutiny over a perceived lack of mental strength, with fans and pundits alike pointing to their 20-year wait for a Premier League title and only one major trophy (the 2020 FA Cup) in nearly two decades. Arteta had urged his side to use the “pain” of their recent defeats as motivation ahead of the Lisbon trip, and the players delivered. The Gunners currently hold a nine-point lead over second-placed Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, on track to end their 22-year top-flight title drought.
Arsenal entered the match without several key first-team players due to injury, including Jurrien Timber, Piero Hincapie, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka. The Gunners did welcome back Declan Rice, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the Southampton defeat and England’s recent international friendlies.