Placing in what was a sensational efficiency on Tuesday night time, Arsenal all however formally booked their Champions League quarter-final ticket as they stormed their method to a 7-1 romp away at PSV.
Opening the scoring after simply 18 minutes and silencing the Philips Stadion as ex-Ajax defender Jurrien Timber headed residence on the again stick, Mikel Arteta’s aspect rapidly breezed their method to a 3-0 lead as Ethan Nwaneri and makeshift quantity 9 Mikel Merino pounced on a leaky PSV defence.
Whereas Dutch worldwide Noa Lang might need transformed from the penalty spot moments earlier than the interval, that was nothing greater than a minor increase for the Lightbulbs.
Within the blink of a watch, Arsenal notched a quickfire brace simply second after the half-time break as skipper Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard additional added to PSV’s distress.
Nevertheless, with Odegaard notching his second of the night time due to a beautiful solo effort, issues solely bought higher for Arsenal as second-half substitute Ricardo Calafiori notched a well-known seventh purpose.
Rightfully with one eye already on the quarter-final stage, Arteta’s males will merely be trying to lay down one other marker once they welcome PSV to north London subsequent week.
In what was a record-breaking night time for the Gunners in Eindhoven, we now have taken a take a look at the principle speaking factors from the Philips Stadion.
Arsenal place all of their eggs within the Champions League basket?
Watching their Premier League title ambitions take what seems to have been a essential blow over the previous month, Arsenal are going through the prospect of ending the season with out a single piece of silverware to point out for his or her troubles.
With their EFL Cup goals coming to a thumping finish final month as they fell to a 4-0 combination defeat towards Newcastle, Arteta’s aspect may place all of their eggs within the Champions League basket.
At the moment sat 13 factors adrift of runaway leaders Liverpool, a real European cost over the following few months will definitely be Arteta’s sole precedence going ahead.
Storming their method to a well-known first-leg benefit right here and with one foot already within the quarter-final stage, Arsenal will now be protecting an in depth eye on how issues unfold within the Spanish capital subsequent week.
Watching Los Blancos declare their very own first-leg benefit due to a 2-1 victory on the Bernabeu on Wednesday night time, Arteta will already be placing plans collectively for a final eight showdown towards eight Atletico Madrid or defending champions Actual.
The Gunners run rampant within the closing third
With attacking talisman Bukayo Saka nonetheless sidelined with a hamstring damage, Arsenal have additionally confirmed that each Kai Havertz and Brazilian marksman Gabriel Jesus are set to overlook the rest of the season.
Drastically wanting attacking choices and failing to herald any putting reinforcements through the January switch window, Arteta has needed to do some actual juggling within the closing third.
Pressured to accept a 0-0 stalemate away at Nottingham Forest final weekend, Tuesday’s friends headed over to Eindhoven having failed to search out the web in three of their earlier 4 home appearances.
Nevertheless, regardless of their obtrusive attacking points over the previous month, the Gunners definitely kicked into high gear right here and can take loads of positives away from a sensational efficiency away from the Emirates.
Notching seven objectives on the Champions League stage for the primary time of their historical past, Arteta’s makeshift squad definitely laid down what was an actual assertion of intent on international soil.
A public nightmare for PSV
Accumulating what was a heavyweight Champions League scalp final month as they edged previous Italian giants Juventus, PSV opened Tuesday’s return to Eindhoven dreaming of one other well-known night time on the Philips Stadion.
Nevertheless, regardless of writing actual historical past on February nineteenth, Peter Bosz’s aspect have come crashing again all the way down to earth in a worrying trend and ought to be bracing themselves for an additional public backlash.
Utterly blown away on residence soil and breaking loads of undesirable data right here, it’s no shock that PSV have actually proven some obtrusive defensive points since opening the New 12 months.
Failing to select up any type of momentum over the weekend as they slumped to an action-packed 3-2 loss towards the Go Forward Eagles, Tuesday’s hosts have misplaced their final three appearances throughout all competitions by an combination rating of 12-4.
Already watching their quarter-final goals go up in smoke, the Lightbulbs will merely look to avoid wasting stage of respect once they journey to north London subsequent week.
Match Report
PSV: Benitez, Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Malacia, Schouten, Saibari, Perisic, Til, Lang, de Jong
Subs: Karsdorp, Bakayoko, Obispo, Nagalo, Veerman
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Merino
Subs: White, Tierney, Zinchenko, Sterling, Calafiori
Targets: PSV: Lang (43’ P) – Arsenal: Timber (18’), Nwaneri (21’), Merino (31’), Odegaard (47’, 73’), Trossard (48’), Calafiori (85’)
Yellow Playing cards: PSV: Malacia – Arsenal: Partey, Lewis-Skelly, Timber
Pink Playing cards: N/A
Referee: Jesus Gil
