Kai Havertz extended his scoring run at the Emirates Stadium to six consecutive games as Arsenal secured a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, suggesting Mikel Arteta’s players are growing in stature on the European front.

The Germany international, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, put in an all-out performance against the Ligue 1 champions, breaking the deadlock with a towering header after 20 minutes while winning the most matches (10) on the evening.

Reflecting on his goal – which saw him drift into the penalty area before beating Gianluigi Donnarumma with a teasing header from Leandro Trossard – he told Arsenal.com: “If you see the players we have on the ball, when they are outside, then I’m tall, I like to take up space and help the team with those runs. Today went quite well, we train a lot on it.

Havertz was later named player of the match by UEFA, who praised his ‘clever movement’ and ‘good rapport with his fellow strikers’.

“When you have players like that around you, it’s just a pleasure to play football,” the German added.

“It’s the start of the season and we can still be better. I think we’re all looking forward to the weeks ahead.”

Havertz will equal Robin van Persie’s record in seven games if he scores against Southampton in the Emirates on Saturday, something few would bet against given the form of both sides.

“It just feels like home to me,” the 25-year-old said of scoring in front of the fans.

“It feels great to play here, the atmosphere is great, the guidance is great. Sometimes, when the match goes against you, all the supporters are important to us. We feel that a lot on the field, it helps me a lot and gives me a lot of confidence.”

In his post-match press conference, manager Arteta was full of praise for a player who was seemingly signed as a midfielder but has proven to be a success leading the line.

“So powerful but also so intelligent,” said the Spaniard.

“The way he takes up spaces, the way he connects everything, his work ethic and now that he’s around the box you have the feeling he’s going to score a goal.

“The goal was fantastic, I think overall the performance was as good as his, so I’m very happy with that.”

Arteta was also delighted to claim the scalp of a major European club who had failed to beat Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season.

“I felt them differently on Monday when we were preparing the match and how they wanted it, the level of focus.

“I think tonight against a top team at home they wanted to prove a point, be ourselves and also be very dominant. It is another step, we must continue to do that.”

And on the result which instilled even more confidence that his side can compete with the best teams in the world, he added: “I think so, it creates special European nights against big clubs. That faith is something that lifts the energy and spirit of everyone.

“First of all, it’s about believing that you can go against these incredible teams and have a really good chance of beating them, and that you are good enough to beat them. I think it will be very useful.”