The last time Arsenal secured a victory by a significant margin, optimism filled the air and the season brimmed with potential. Since that 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City, however, Arsenal’s fortunes have taken a downturn. Thus, this rout of the Dutch champions was, at the very least, a substantial step forward.
Arsenal dazzled in Eindhoven against a team that played right into their hands and ended up thoroughly embarrassed. Press Arsenal aggressively, and this is the result you could face.
Arsenal thrives on space, whether it’s offered by City’s sky blue or PSV’s red and white. In this match, there was plenty of room to exploit, and Arsenal took full advantage. They were precise, relentless, and, importantly, seemed to be enjoying their football again.
Young winger Ethan Nwaneri particularly shone. He was brilliant down the right flank. Martin Odegaard enjoyed himself, too, netting two goals in the second half. This was a night of expression for all of Mikel Arteta’s players, who desperately needed a lift from recent setbacks and are now assured of at least a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals. From this point in European play, anything can happen.
PSV were truly disappointing and should feel embarrassed. This was a disastrous night for Peter Bosz and his squad, as well as for Dutch football. Some of the PSV fans looked ashamed at 5-1, and when the sixth goal went in, many left the stadium. There was a fancy dress celebration outside, and some locals must have wished they had come in costume.
We don’t want to diminish Arsenal’s achievement. They arrived in Holland under considerable pressure, knowing that failing to advance in a tie concluding next week could ruin a once-promising season. Thus, this performance and result reflect exceptionally well on them.
Arteta must wish he could face Premier League teams as naive as this every week. Before the match, he chose not to engage in discussions about how PSV would approach the game, but the idea that PSV would attack and leave themselves vulnerable proved entirely accurate.
In an engaging and entertaining first half, the Dutch team went toe-to-toe with Arsenal but ultimately got knocked out of the game and the tie.
Perhaps Bosz was influenced by all the chatter about Arsenal lacking a center forward. Once again, Arteta addressed that gap with Mikel Merino. Regardless, Arsenal could have played with two substitutes up front at Philips Stadium and still scored plenty.
There was one controversial moment in a first half that significantly impacted the outcome. After 25 minutes, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly should have received a second yellow card for a foul on Richard Ledezma. Why he wasn’t booked again remains a mystery known only to the Spanish referee.
By that point, Arsenal had already gone up two goals. PSV had hit the bar through Ryan Flamingo early on – he should have found the net – but then Arsenal struck twice down the left in the 18th and 21st minutes. The first was a Declan Rice assist to Jurrien Timber for a simple header. The second was Lewis-Skelly feeding Nwaneri along the ground for a close-range effort. Both were brilliantly executed.
PSV kept pushing forward, leaving gaps behind. Merino scored the third in the 31st minute after Ledezma inexplicably failed to clear. Following a VAR check, Arteta wisely substituted Lewis-Skelly before the referee could do so.
The match felt decided, and PSV’s hopes for a comeback flickered. Luuk de Jong converted a penalty just before halftime after Thomas Partey foolishly grabbed an opponent by the neck. With the crowd re-energized, Guus Til missed a good chance by heading over.
But that was the highlight for PSV. The halftime talk in their dressing room must have centered on needing the next goal, but the issue was that Arsenal scored two within three minutes of the second half starting.
MATCH FACTS
PSV Eindhoven (4-2-3-1): Benitez; Ledezma (Karsdorp 65′), Boscagli (Obispo 82), Flamingo (Nagalo 46′), Malacia; Saibari (Veerman 82′), Schouten; Perisic, Til, Lang, De Jong (Bakayoko 66′)
Subs: Driouech, Drommel, Babadi, Land, Schiks
Goal: Lang 43′ pen
Booked: Malacia
Manager: Peter Bosz
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber (White 77′), Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly (Calafiori 35′); Odegaard, Partey (Zinchenko 71′), Rice; Nwaneri (Sterling 71′), Merino (White 77′), Trossard
Subs: Butler-Oyedeji, Jorginho, Setford, Kabia, Kiwior, Neto
Goals: Timber 18′, Nwaneri 21′, Merino 31′, Odegaard 47′, 73′, Trossard 48′, Calafiori 86′
Booked: Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Timber
Manager: Mikel Arteta
Jurrien Timber opened the scoring with a header from a great Declan Rice cross.
Noa Lang seemed to give PSV a glimmer of hope with a powerful penalty to make it 3-1.
Odegaard netted two goals within 99 seconds at the start of a ruthless second half.
Leandro Trossard expertly chipped Walter Benitez from close range to complete the quickfire strikes.
After Odegaard netted his second, Riccardo Calafiori made it 7-1 in the 84th minute. Odegaard was the first to benefit as young Nwaneri executed a step-over on Tyrell Malacia – formerly of Manchester United – before crossing low. Goalkeeper Walter Benitez could have done better with anything other than a weak push, which set the stage for Odegaard to slot it into the empty net.