Tom HamiltonMar 17, 2026, 06:04 PM ET
- • Joined ESPN in 2011
• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
LONDON -- Arsenal have successfully completed two of three tasks necessary to crown this a perfect week.
They sit nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and on Tuesday night booked their spot in the Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, taking them through 3-1 on aggregate. With two wonderful goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice, the Gunners have nicely teed up the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday for what they hope is the first trophy of a potential quadruple this season.
Arsenal fans are reluctant to let hope bleed into belief quite yet -- that's what a 22-year wait for a league title does. But after their 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, and Tuesday's comprehensive win against a resilient Leverkusen side, there are barely any signs of nerves troubling Mikel Arteta's side.
As Chelsea and Manchester City crumbled in Europe, Arsenal seem to be leaning into the pressure. Players can be chopped and changed, but as long as the spine of the team remains familiar, Arsenal's Swiss Army knife of a squad means they barely blink.
But this is a season of blurring wonderful snapshot moments into what Arsenal fans hope is one long victorious montage at the end. If Saturday's long-held memory was the sight of 16-year-old Max Dowman celebrating becoming the youngest ever Premier League goal scorer after his introduction helped Arsenal to that 2-0 win, then tonight's will be Eze and Rice's magnificent goals.
Up until the 36th minute, Arsenal had tried every which way possible to break through Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich's steely resolve, and while their usually deadly corner routine wasn't quite producing the goods, Eze decided to go route one. He picked up a bobbling ball on the edge of the box, teed it up for himself and fired a glorious hammer of a shot into the top left corner of Blaswich's goal. No goalkeeper could've saved it. Eze pointed to the heavens and strolled off towards the corner, soaking in the adulation, as his teammates stood back and let him have his moment.
Rice's goal in the 63rd minute was also a delight. The Leverkusen defense stood off him, so Rice -- with all the ease of taking his dog Raffa for a stroll -- simply took a couple of steps to steady himself, and placed it precisely in the bottom corner. It looked simplistic but was yet another wonderful goal. Around the press box, the Arsenal fans sang "Boring, boring Arsenal!" a message for those who have criticized this team's playing style, reminding they are a team capable of more than just ruthless set pieces.
But as nights and preparation for Sunday's final go, this was pretty much bang on script. Arteta made four changes from the side that beat Everton, swapping both fullbacks in giving Ben White and Piero Hincapié starts, while Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyökeres also started in Arsenal's 49th match of a never-ending season.
Leverkusen's goal lived a charmed life in the first half, and while the German side threatened on the break, David Raya barely broke sweat. So it was at the other end where Blaswich was throwing himself around his six-yard box keeping Arsenal at bay -- saving a Trossard effort and somehow keeping out a close-range White scrambled shot after Arsenal caused carnage in Leverkusen's box from a corner. Gyökeres was struggling to get into the game, but still Arsenal prodded away at Leverkusen's goal until Eze picked up that ball on the edge of the box and hit it as sweetly as possible.
Leverkusen tried to hit Arsenal down the flanks in the second half, but the host's defense stood firm and Rice's second-half goal settled things. Arteta turned to the bench and introduced Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz in the 69th minute, with Eze looking a bit bruised after some frustrated tackling from Leverkusen.
Havertz had a goal disallowed for a foul, and the game petered out at this stage, leaving Leverkusen with more time on the ball. The camera panned to Dowman, who remained on the bench, Arteta managing his minutes carefully as the excitement around him grows. Leverkusen had the final say with Raya saving well from Christian Kofane to keep things as serene as possible.
As their Premier League rivals collapsed elsewhere, this was a contrasting, comprehensive performance. The screens at half time in the Emirates showed a forlorn-looking Pep Guardiola as he watched Real Madrid stretch their lead up in Manchester, and the juxtaposition with the celebratory mood in North London could not have been starker.
Arsenal are meant to be the ones feeling the breath on the back of their necks, but instead they look to be embracing the task of competing on four fronts. As Man City picked up the pieces of a chastening aggregate loss to Real Madrid, Arsenal were using their second leg against Leverkusen to rest some well-run legs.
Up next for Arsenal are Manchester City on Sunday at Wembley. It has been six long years since Arsenal last won a trophy. But this was the perfect way to tee that final up, and judging by the confidence they played with on Tuesday night, they might not be waiting much longer for a new piece of silverware in their trophy cabinet.
