Our top 25 Champions League moments | Feature | News
20-second stunner
psv eindhoven 0-4 Arsenal
september 25, 2002
Ahead of this trip to the Netherlands, we’d not tasted victory away from Highbury in our last six Champions League trips, but it took us just 20 seconds to start rectifying that run out in Eindhoven as Gilberto’s quickfire effort paved the way for a long-awaited away day win, and a stylish one to boot.
From the kick-off, the ball was played to our backline where Sol Campbell saw a pass cut out, and then Gilberto couldn’t control the ricochet. However, Ljungberg swiftly won back possession and sent Henry racing away down the left, and his first-time centre fell perfectly for the Brazilian to fire us in front, officially after 20.7 seconds.
Despite being overtaken by Bayern Munich’s Roy Makaay’s 10.12-second effort against Real Madrid in 2007, Gilberto’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it goal is still the third-fastest in the competition’s history. Ljungberg added our second before a Henry brace put the gloss on an emphatic win in the first Champions League meeting between the teams.
