Wednesday 14 September 2016 11:44, UK
The Gunners had lost their first game of the competition in the past two years but came through a poor first half to take a point in the French capital.
Here we round up the talking points from the match…
Good result after shocking start
A 1-1 draw away to PSG - Arsenal's main rivals for top spot in Group A - is a positive start to this season's Champions League campaign. But the scoreline doesn't tell the story of a frantic night for the Gunners.
The visitors were behind less than a minute into the match, had to survive a first-half onslaught from their hosts and then grabbed a dramatic late equaliser with 13 minutes remaining before both sides were reduced to 10 men.
There were just 42 seconds on the clock when Shkodran Mustafi lost Edinson Cavani in the box and looked on to see the Uruguayan head home the opener.
Arsenal's unbeaten away record against French teams in European competitions seemed under threat as Unai Emery's side poured forward, however, a change of personnel and tactics in the second half - coupled with some superb goalkeeping from David Ospina and wastefulness from Cavani - led to Alexis Sanchez's equaliser.
One game in and, after Basel and Ludogrets drew by the same scoreline, Arsenal actually lead their pool. With Ludogrets at the Emirates next, they'll hope to maintain that position, with the return fixture with PSG in November now key to determining the group winner.
Ospina repays Wenger's faith
Ospina's selection ahead of Petr Cech for this match seemed an odd move by Arsene Wenger before kick-off. The Colombian hadn't played this season and when he was selected ahead of the Gunners' number one in the Champions League last year against Olympiakos, he produced an own-goal howler which left Arsenal's group-stage progress in doubt. It seemed a risk to throw him in away to Arsenal's toughest Group A opponents.
Conceding a goal after 45 seconds was hardly an ideal start. However, the goalkeeper could do nothing to keep out Cavani's header and proceeded to come up with a string of fine saves to keep the visitors in the contest. Saves which ultimately paved the way for Sanchez to fire home the late equaliser.
Ospina showed off his agility to tip over Angel Di Maria's whipped corner in the first-half before three saves in quick succession in the second period denied Serge Aurier, Cavani and Di Maria. There was then an expert dive at the feet of Cavani to push away the danger when the Uruguayan was through one-on-one. Wenger's selection paid off.
Sanchez struggles in lone striker role
While Wenger was rewarded with his goalkeeper call, at the other end of the pitch the manager's decision to leave Olivier Giroud on the bench and field Sanchez through the middle didn't work. The Chilean was often isolated and was unable to compete for possession against Paris St Germain's impressive centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva.
Sanchez didn't get a shot off in the first half and lost possession 21 times, more than any other Arsenal player. With Alex Iwobi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struggling to link up with the forward, Arsenal struggled to trouble PSG. However, when Giroud came on in the 63rd minute and Sanchez moved to the left, the improvement to the Londoners' attacking play was clear.
Sanchez's goal came from the Chilean stepping inside from the left into a deeper position to pick up the rebound from Iwobi's parried shot and his finish was evidence the 27-year-old is far more effective facing the opposition's goal, rather than with his back to it.
Giroud back and banned
The frustration for Wenger, then, will be that his striker Giroud is likely to be banned for the team's next Champions League outing at home to Ludogorets.
The Frenchman - who told Wenger after the match he had done "nothing at all" to warrant a red - was involved in a needless spat with Marco Verratti in the 93rd minute and picked up a second yellow card, following a foul five minutes earlier on Thomas Meunier.
Giroud's suspension for that fixture will present Wenger with a selection dilemma further down the line but the France international, who has been limited to substitute appearances against Leicester and Southampton following his Euro 2016 exertions, does at least look ready to contend for a starting spot at Hull in the Premier League on Saturday.
