Arsenal are one of English football’s most storied clubs. Under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners have spent the 2025/26 campaign establishing themselves as genuine Premier League title contenders, sitting at the top of the table for much of the season. On 7 April 2026, Arsenal faced Sporting CP at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, which turned out to be a massive reality check for the squad following a turbulent few weeks for the north London club.
Havertz ends the frustration and speaks
Arsenal arrived in Lisbon having suffered their first back-to-back defeats of the campaign, falling 2-0 to Manchester City in the League Cup final and then 2-1 to Championship side Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Those results wiped out two trophy chances in just two weeks, drastically narrowing their season ambitions. The last-eight showdown against Sporting looked to be heading for a goalless draw before substitute Kai Havertz latched onto Gabriel Martinelli’s ball to deliver a fine finish in the first minute of added time, putting Arsenal in control ahead of next week’s return match at the Emirates.
Arsenal had David Raya to thank for keeping them alive; the goalkeeper produced a wonderful early save to deny Maxi Araújo and then a fine double stop late in the contest before Havertz struck. After the final whistle, Havertz was honest about how much the result meant given the recent context. He admitted the group really needed the win because of the frustration of the last couple of weeks, but insisted it was time to stay positive and stick together, believing the season could still end with something special.
“We needed that as we were all frustrated with how the last couple of weeks went. But now it’s time to move forward, it’s time to be positive, and it’s time to all stick together. As a group – as players, staff and the fans – we’re all in this together, and we still can make something happen this year. It can be something very special. That’s what we’re going to go for, and now it’s time to win games.” (Via Independent)
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How has Havertz performed?
The 26-year-old German forward had endured a difficult start to the 2025/26 season, suffering a knee injury shortly after appearing in the opening fixture against Manchester United that sidelined him for several months. Data from FBref shows Havertz has managed six Premier League appearances and four Champions League appearances this season, scoring three times in Europe and once in the league. His return to fitness has been gradual, but his knack for showing up in the biggest moments, evident again in Lisbon, continues to define his Arsenal tenure. The German finished the 2024/25 season as Arsenal’s top scorer despite missing the final months through a hamstring injury.
Do Arsenal actually have the stomach for what comes next?
The honest answer is that nobody truly knows yet, and that uncertainty is precisely what makes this moment so compelling. Arsenal did not play particularly well in Lisbon. Craig Burley noted that Arsenal were underwhelming and failed to impress despite their narrow victory.
They produced seven shot attempts in ninety minutes and needed their goalkeeper to bail them out on multiple occasions before a substitute snatched the win at the death. That is not the profile of a side playing with the kind of authority a genuine trophy contender typically carries into a European quarter-final.
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The deeper issue is that Arsenal’s problems are not simply about form. The club are trying to reset after defeats that have left serious questions about resilience, squad depth, and the mental toll of chasing multiple trophies at once. Havertz scoring late in Lisbon is one thing, but a team carrying three injury-forced absences, leaning on a goalkeeper who was dropped for the two cup exits, and relying on stoppage-time substitutes to rescue ties doesn’t exactly look like a side ready to win a Champions League semi-final.
The second leg at the Emirates on 15 April will tell far more than Tuesday’s result does. If Arsenal produce a commanding performance and advance convincingly, then Havertz’s words about something special still being possible will carry genuine significance. If they limp through nervously again, the season risks being remembered for all it failed to deliver rather than what it still might.
