Out-gunned
Dembele took just four minutes to prove the point as the France star started and finished a ruthless raid.
Taking possession in the centre circle, Dembele worked the ball out to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the Georgian drove at Jurrien Timber with intent.
Dembele had carried on his run into the Arsenal area and Kvaratskhelia’s perfectly weighted pass picked him out for a clinical finish that went in off the far post.
Having seized the momentum, Dembele was proving hard for Arsenal to handle, his clever run and pass reaching Desire Doue for a low strike that David Raya saved at full stretch.
Arsenal had been out-gunned but they should have equalised just before half-time when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s sublime pass found Gabriel Martinelli, whose shot was superbly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arsenal thought they had drawn level two minutes into the second half when Mikel Merino headed home from Rice’s free-kick, but their celebrations were premature as VAR disallowed the goal for offside against the Spain midfielder.
Leandro Trossard was inches away from equalising when Rice’s pass sent him bursting into the PSG area for a shot that Donnarumma brilliantly tipped away.
Feeling the shift in the balance of power, PSG looked to take the sting out of the game by playing at a slower pace.
The tactic almost worked to perfection when Bradley Barcola sauntered through, but with just Raya to beat he dragged his shot wide of the far post.
It was a woeful miss, leaving Luis Enrique holding his head in disbelief.
The PSG coach found himself in the exact same stunned pose moments later when Goncalo Ramos fired against the bar from close range as another big chance to double the visiting side’s lead late on went begging.
