5 greatest Arsenal European nights at the Emirates - ranked

Arsenal thrashed Real Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday night and, in doing so, they secured one of the greatest European results in club history.

This feels like a watershed moment in the Arteta/Gunners process. Years on from that “compete with Bayern Munich” remark by then CEO Ivan Gazidis, the team is finally at an elite level and announced itself here as a genuine contender for the Champions League crown.

There is still work to do in Madrid next week, of course, but this game proves Arsenal are on the right path now, while it also represents a glorious, new addition to the growing list of big European wins at N5.

And so, in honour and celebration of our brilliant victory, here are the five best Champions League Emirates era wins.

5 greatest Arsenal European nights at the Emirates

5. Arsenal 4-0 PSV Eindhoven (2023/24)

After six long years in the UCL wilderness, Arsenal returned to the top table last season and made up for lost time against a dismal PSV Eindhoven.

The party atmosphere was turbo-charged just eight minutes in: smooth build-up play allowed Martin Odegaard to get a shot off and the parry was met by Bukayo Saka, who converted the rebound on his weaker foot.

A lightning-quick counter-attack set up Leandro Trossard to double our lead 12 minutes later and no. 3 arrived soon after thanks to Gabriel Jesus, before Odegaard turned goal-scorer with a powerful low drive into the bottom corner.

PSV are not the most impressive or glamorous of opponents (as proven last month) but this type of night had been a long time coming and, when it finally arrived, Arsenal gave their fans something to remember.

4. Arsenal 5-0 FC Porto (2009/10)

Ah yes, back in the good ol’ days when FC Porto could be demolished.

The Gunners had found life trickier in Portugal three weeks prior – defeated 2-1 in the away leg – and, thus, they arrived for this home clash on the back foot.

Arsene Wenger held out for a hero and he got one in the form of ‘Lord’ Nicklas Bendtner (who else?). The enigmatic Dane started out comeback with two close-range finishes and capped it off via a spot-kick in stoppage time, with Emmanuel Eboué and a spectacular Samir Nasri goal giving Arsenal a big 5-0 win (6-2 on aggregate).

It signalled a true rarity in the Wenger era: his team had dug deep and delivered a huge performance in Europe when it mattered most, granting Arsenal perhaps their first great Champions League night at their new-ish ground.   

3. Arsenal 1-0 FC Porto (2023/24)

Arsenal and FC Porto reconvened in London 14 years later and, this time, success was not quite as forthcoming.

For all of their quality and a concurrent Premier League title charge, the Gunners laboured badly in both ties and seemed to have no answer to the Porto low-block – well, not until Odegaard produced his moment of magic.

Our captain stepped up just before half-time, turning beautifully away from Francisco Conceicao and sliding a delightful reverse pass through to Leandro Trossard. The Belgian took it in his stride and set himself before then firing a low effort beyond Diogo Costa.

That was as good as it got in regulation time and so penalties ensued, with heroic goalkeeping from David Raya – first to deny Wendell, then first-leg goal-scorer Galeno – ensuring Arsenal would claim their spot in the quarter-finals.

Another 5-0 win would have been nice, but the hard-fought nature of the match made our ultimate triumph taste that bit sweeter.

2. Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona (2010/11)

ARSHAVIIIIIIIIIN!

In some ways, this result was bigger and better than Madrid. For starters, Arsenal were much further off the ‘elite’ than they are today and, secondly, this was a Barcelona team in their pomp, with their galaxy of stars – Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, etc. –  being managed by a fresh-faced Pep Guardiola.

But pressure can breed diamonds and it certainly made for a priceless night at the Emirates. Matters did not go to plan straight away though, as David Villa (also a decent option) beat the offside trap to put the La Liga giants ahead early on.

Yet Arsenal would not be denied their special night and they got things back on track on 78 minutes, when Robin van P*rsie found the net from a near impossible angle. Then, our first-leg advantage was secured five minutes later thanks to a clinical strike from Andrey Arshavin; rounding off a wonderful team move that had the stadium bouncing.

Reality hit hard in the return match – blame the referee – but the memory of that famous night will be forever etched in club folklore.  

1. Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid (2024/25)

It already ranks right up there with the greatest of Emirates nights, even if the job is still only half done…

This match was difficult to predict beforehand; a fading title challenge – plus injuries – left many fans unsure of what exactly Arsenal would produce. However, our impressive ‘Big Six’ record under Mikel Arteta offered hope of a strong performance, while the ‘last-chance-saloon’ territory of the campaign means we have no choice but to believe that we can progress.

But Real Madrid represent UCL royalty (even if their form is patchy of late) and, in order to beat the best, you must deliver something truly incredible – Declan Rice duly obliged.

His two world-class free kicks – the first a stunning curled shot, the second a top-corner piledriver – left Thibaut Courtois utterly helpless in goal and put us in a very commanding position, before a fine Mikel Merino goal sealed a brilliant 3-0 win.

More so than Barcelona in 2011, this match might well signify how the players are coming of age and are ready to shed their ‘nearly-men’ status. Progression next week will see them cement their place in the history books.  

Keep those pens at the ready.

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