Arsenal boss Arteta praises 'unbelievable' Havertz

LONDON : Twelve months ago Kai Havertz looked like a spare part at Arsenal after his big-money move across town from Chelsea but now the German forward is fully justifying his 65 million pounds ($86 million) fee with a sensational start to the season.

The 25-year-old put Arsenal on the path to a 2-0 home win against Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday with a well-timed run and header in the 20th minute.

After taking 10 games to get off the mark for Arsenal last season, it was his fifth goal for the club in the current campaign and he deservedly picked up the man of the match award.

"He has been unbelievable. His football brain, the way he understands space, his timing, he brings people together," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who showed great faith in Havertz even when he was struggling last season, said.

"His work ethic is incredible and now he is a real threat around the box. He is one of our main players at the moment."

It was a satisfying night for Arteta whose Arsenal team dominated one of Europe's heavyweights in the first half and then comfortably contained them after the break.

"Really, really happy with the performance. We played an opponent that has a lot of personality, is really difficult to deal with when you don't have the ball," he said.

"The first half was very dominant and we created a lot of chances and then the second half was a different story.

"We suffered much more than we should have done. The Champions League brings different demands but I think we handled it really well."

Victory, following the 0-0 draw away to Atalanta, propelled Arsenal to eighth in the 36-team table and Arteta said it was far too early to start predicting how many more wins his side will need to qualify automatically