Arsenal traveled to Philips Stadion to take on PSV Eindhoven in a Champions League group stage clash.
Arsenal ground out a fairly drab 1-1 draw to bring the first phase of their Champions League journey to a close.
This fixture marked the final group stage match for Arsenal, with the Gunners already qualified for the knockout rounds of the competition as group winners prior to kick off. As anticipated, Mikel Arteta named a heavily rotated starting XI for this game.
The Gunners were slow to get going in the first half, and the hosts had some promising moments. A last-ditch combination of a William Saliba tackle and Gabriel Magalhaes block prevented the Dutch side from going ahead early on.
Arsenal did manage to break the deadlock towards the end of the opening period. Reiss Nelson shifted the ball to Eddie Nketiah in the box and the striker then produced a classy touch and finish to register his first ever Champions League goal.
PSV started the second half brightly, and eventually grabbed an equaliser via a Yorbe Vertessen strike. Arteta then made changes, though not the ones most fans will have been hoping to see. As the game petered out, none of the Hale End academy trio that made the trip, Reuell Walters, Lino Sousa, or Ethan Nwaneri, made it onto the pitch.
Arsenal player ratings v PSV
Aaron Ramsdale – 6.5/10
A solid Champions League debut for Aaron Ramsdale. Made a couple of decent saves and the woodwork came to his rescue twice.
Cedric Soares – 6.5/10
Looked a little rusty early on, which is understandable given this was his first outing with the senior side so far this season. Played an important role in the build up to Nketiah’s goal.
William Saliba – 6.5/10
Made a vital intervention early on and was largely solid but will be disappointed with his missed interception in the build up to PSV’s equaliser.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6.5/10
Generally coped well given that he, like Saliba, had less protection ahead of him than usual.
Jakub Kiwior – 5/10
Not an inspiring showing from Jakub Kiwior. He struggled to cope with the threat of Johan Bakayoko and offered little going forward, aside from a header which found the back of the net, only to be quickly chalked off when Gabriel was deemed to have been interfering with play in an offside position.
Jorginho – 7/10
Very composed in the middle of the park, moving the ball well and making some important defensive interventions. Exactly what you’d expect from the veteran midfielder who was handed the captain’s armband on the night.
Mohamed Elneny – 6.5/10
Mohamed Elneny was solid on the ball and unfortunate to see a long-range drive denied by the post. Arteta will hope that it was cramp, rather than something more sinister, which forced him off.
Kai Havertz – 7/10
Kai Havertz dragged Arsenal up the pitch at times and made some threatening attacking runs. Tied the Gunners’ play together in the final third effectively.
Reiss Nelson – 7.5/10
Nelson was the north London club’s brightest spark on the night. The Hale End academy graduate assisted Nketiah’s goal, made several driving runs with the ball in an attempt to make things happen, and popped up all over the pitch. He made a strong statement that he deserves more regular game time with this showing.
Leandro Trossard – 4.5/10
Leandro Trossard was flat and ineffective. The £27 million former Brighton man was a peripheral figure in the game. Could have won it for Arsenal, though, with the final kick of the match. However, his shot was poor when he could have played the ball across to Nketiah for a simple tap-in.
Eddie Nketiah – 7/10
Nketiah took his goal really well, showing the instinctive finishing skills that have led to some to question if he would outscore Gabriel Jesus if he were to become the regular starter.
Substitutes
Declan Rice – 6/10
Ben White – 6/10
Martin Odegaard – 6.5/10
Emile Smith Rowe – 6/10
Gabriel Jesus – 6/10
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