Only Arsenal remains trustworthy in the Premier League.

The Premier League went through another disappointing Champions League night midweek. England's clubs started the round of 16 first leg with six sides, but finished with four defeats and two draws.

Most were heavy defeats, with a total goal difference of 16-6 favoring the European opponents. Three of these—Tottenham, Chelsea, and Man City—are almost certain to exit the competition, while Newcastle has little hope facing Barcelona away, and Liverpool might also reverse the situation against Galatasaray in the return leg.

In this gloomy atmosphere, Arsenal became the "leader" of English football in the Champions League, despite returning to this arena after a seven-year absence starting from the 2023/24 season. It should be noted that in their first season, Arteta's team reached the quarter-finals; the following season they made the semi-finals after eliminating the reigning champions Real Madrid.

This season, with a stable squad structure and a well-drilled playing style, The Gunners continue to show their development and the value of their football. The London capital side did not have an outstanding performance at Leverkusen's ground, with only two shots on target—one of which was a penalty—but demonstrated the resilience that makes them contenders for this season's Champions League title.

Arsenal was completely inferior in attack, with only seven shots throughout the match, and just four key passes compared to nine from the German representative. 82% of their passes were made in Leverkusen's half but rarely created breakthroughs due to the usual monotony, evidenced by 21 horizontal passes versus nine from the hosts.

The Gunners are renowned for their solid defensive system, but even in this aspect, they were inferior to Kasper Hjulmand's team. Throughout the match, Arsenal had only four tackles, while Leverkusen was much more aggressive with thirteen. The home team succeeded in ten interceptions, Arsenal in six.

Another issue is that Arteta's team conceded from a corner situation for the first time in the Champions League since November 2024, despite being specialists in this area. But all these unfavorable factors ultimately highlight the opposite: Arsenal is increasingly tenacious and steadier psychologically. They remained calm, not rushed, and maintained tactical demands at an astonishing level.

"Yes, that's why I said emotionally the match would become very different because Leverkusen is excellent in counterattacks; you have to be faster, press more to create danger and equalize, and you might get caught out while developing play. But I liked that emotionally; we understood what we had to do," the 44-year-old coach said.

In reality, Arsenal may have dipped at some points during the season or several times in the midweek match. But they never strayed off course and remained steadfast in their playing style choices: creating a solid game situation, striving to attack continuously, testing the opponent's patience, and maximizing the scarce opportunities obtained in each match.

On the other hand, a dynamic squad always ready to fight, combined with Arteta's adaptability and match-reading ability, makes Arsenal more complete, as all substitutes introduced in the second half—like Madueke or Havertz—played crucial roles in giving the team an advantage ahead of the return leg.