Positives & negatives from Arsenal's 3-0 win over Real Madrid

Negative #1: Arsenal didn't score more

If there were any negatives on the night, and I'm well and truly reaching here, one downside involves Arsenal not scoring more goals. Make no mistake, this was a grade A rollicking of the holders, who were outfought, outthought and outrun all over the pitch.

There were other chances to stick an exclamation point or two next to that dominance. Those chances included Alaba clearing off the line, Thibaut Courtois making a pair of stunning double saves and Jude Bellingham also making a goal-saving clearance.

No Arsenal fan is likely to shed a tear over beating the 15-time winners by three clear goals, but this was a 4-0 or 5-0 performance. The second leg should be a formality at the Bernabeu.

It probably still is, but there's a glimmer of hope Real could exploit on home soil. If they did, Arteta and his players would surely look back on the chances that got away in north London.

Avoiding those kind of recriminations means not easing off in the Spanish capital. Rice will make sure no such complacency creeps into this Arsenal team.

Positive #2: Declan Rice masterclass

Even before he channeled his inner Thierry Henry, Rice had taken full ownership of this prestigious contest. His running power and clever use of space left Real's forward line outnumbered and the visitors' own defense overloaded.

Rice managed both of those things because he was everywhere. Everywhere. His ample energy reserves were key to Arteta's strategy.

Having Rice work the inside channels stretched Real's 4-4-2 defensive structure out of shape. It also made it more difficult for the away side to provide help for the full-backs against Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Taking Real's players into footraces they couldn't win was just one part of Rice's brilliance. When he arrived into advanced spaces, he frequently made the right decisions, producing a deft touch or a neat pass as part of combination play the opposition failed to track and contain.

Then there were those free-kicks. Far more than mere cappers to a fine performance, Rice further demonstrated a speciality from dead-ball situations that can no longer be minimised.

A fee of £105m will never look cheap exactly, but every penny appeared well spent while Rice bossed the best on the continent. Yet, as good as he was, the England man was aided by some exceptional performances in midfield, as part of a tactical shape the manager can be proud to have designed.

Continued on the next slide...