Arsenal finished the group stages of the Champions League with a 1-1 draw against PSV in the Netherlands on Tuesday night. Eddie Nketiah opened the scoring three minutes before half-time as he unleashed an effort into the bottom corner but PSV drew level five minutes after the interval as Yorbe Vertessen curled beyond Aaron Ramsdale. Express Sport takes a look at the biggest talking points from the clash at the Philips Stadium…
Ahead of the match, former Liverpool striker Michael Owen lauded Nketiah as he told TNT Sports: “He’s obviously a very good player and I think he’s one of the better finishers in the Premier League. He’s a top-class finisher.”
And Owen just as Nketiah showed his prowess in front of goal by scoring his sixth goal of the campaign. The 24-year-old smelled the ball faintly in the first half as his team struggled to create chances.
But when he found the slightest dominance inside the penalty area after being brought on by Reiss Nelson, he sent the ball beyond the reach of PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez inside the post.
Arsenal have won all 3 of their home games at the organisational level of the Champions League conceding a goal, but Mikel Arteta’s men have not left a blank sheet in their 3 away games.
Those defensive frailties didn’t cost the Gunners as they still finished top of the Group B table. But they could be a concern ahead of the knockout stages as Arsenal will have to face some of the best teams in Europe if they have hopes of lifting the Champions League trophy.
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Before the clash in Eindhoven, William Saliba had played more minutes than Declan Rice. Arteta made eight changes to the team that lost to Aston Villa at the weekend, with Rice starting the game on the bench.
But the former West Ham star was unable to have the whole night off as he was brought on just over an hour in after Mohamed Elneny was forced off with an injury. Rice proceeded to fill in at centre-back and Arsenal will desperately hope Elneny is not sidelined with a long-term issue given how hectic their fixture schedule is in the next few weeks.
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Arteta handed Martin Odegaard a rest for the match as the Norway international was named on the bench. But the visitors appeared lacklustre in front of goal without their creative spark and opportunities were at a premium.
Odegaard entered the fray with just under an hour left and immediately stepped up on his team’s offensive threat. But Arteta will know he wants to rely on other attacking players to make things happen. He expects more from the other members of his team in the upcoming matches.
Arteta named academy youngsters Ethan Nwaneri, Lino Sousa and Reuell Walters to the Netherlands Team of the Day. But none of them got a chance to show what they were capable of, even though the game was dead.
That will be a frustration to some Arsenal supporters who were hoping to get a glimpse of three hugely promising young talents.
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