Eddie Nketiah marked his maiden Champions League start with a first goal in the competition as Arsenal shared an entertaining 1-1 draw with PSV in Eindhoven.
Both teams had already qualified for the round of 16 and, with the Gunners’ best place in Group B secured, Mikel Arteta was able to shuffle his group.
The Eredivisie leaders took advantage of most of the early stages of the match, with American foreigner Ricardo Pepi being sent off after a late block from Gabriel.
But Arsenal grew into the contest and, in the 41st minute, Reiss Nelson exchanged passes with Cedric Soares to find Nketiah. The England international took a fine first touch before clipping a left-footed shot beyond Walter Benitez for his sixth goal of the season.
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First start at #UCL ✅
First goal of the #UCL ✅
Eddie Nketiah loves life in the Champions League tonight!pic. twitter. com/bntwZ544AD
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Brilliant ? movement and glorious finish
Eddie Nketiah gives the Gunners ✅ leadership#UCL pic. twitter. com/K16yQWg4dq
Vertessen headed wide of the post in the first half and his shot cut out inside the right post after a pass from Pepi early in the second half crossed the goal and into Aaron Ramsdale’s net.
Both teams had more than their fair share of chances to win, with PSV substitute Guus Til shooting unnecessarily wide of goal before Leandro Trossard received a very good save from Walter Benitez in the 7th minute of injury time.
Jakub Kiwior, who earlier had a header ruled out because Gabriel was offside and interfering with play, hacked the rebound off target.
Lineups:
PSV (formation, 4-3-3): 1. Walter Benítez (GK) – 3. Jordan Teze, 5. Andre Ramalho, 4. Armando Obispo, 17. Mauro Junior – 10. Malik Tillman (20. Guus Til), 30. Patrick van Aanholt, 34. Ismael Saibari (8. Sergino Dest) — 11. Johan Bakayoko (Isaac Babadi), 14. Ricardo Pepi, 32. Yorbe Vertessen.
Arsenal (formation, 4-3-3): 1. Aaron Ramsdale (Goalkeeper) – 17. Cedric Soares (4. Ben White), 2. William Saliba (41. Declan Rice), 6. Gabriel, 15. Jakub Kiwior – 25. Mohamed Elneny (8. Martin Odegaard), 20. Jorginho, 29. Kai Havertz (10. Emile Smith Rowe) – 24. Reiss Nelson (9. Gabriel Jesus), 14. Eddie Nketiah, 19. Leandro Trossard.
Gabriel Jesus’ merit for Arsenal goes far beyond the undeniable passes, not to the point that the Brazilian foreigner deserves to give interviews about transfers that are not his forte. For all his tireless, cunning games and cunning liaisons, Jesus can go through prolonged periods of heat and blood. Two Premier League transfers in mid-December show he’s been cold for a while.
A four-goal comeback in the Champions League in as many appearances provides a better look at his overall run throughout the season, but Nketiah has already managed five in the Premier League and his excellent finish tonight has earned him points with Jesus in all competitions. The voices suggesting that Arsenal want a striker who scores 25 goals per season are precisely quieter, but those men don’t grow on trees. Most well-run clubs find answers indoors at this time of year, and for the time being, Nketiah isn’t looking. It looks too much like a demotion of Arteta’s first-choice centre-forward.
Onward to Eindhoven ? pic. twitter. com/bwXPaQubKV
The takeover of Arteta by his former Manchester City boss has paid good dividends in north London, but a resolution from Pep Guardiola’s playbook tonight has disappointed his supporters. There was a lot of excitement about teenagers Ethan Nwaneri, Reuell Walters and Lino Sousa making their decision. Walters not starting was a bit tricky to perceive, as Cedric Soares, an experienced player with no visual experience at Arsenal, was gambling and was partly to blame for PSV’s equaliser and was duly sent off.
In his position he arrived. . . Declan Rice repositioned William Saliba at centre-back and club captain Martin Odegaard repositioned the injured Mohamed Elneny in the same substitution circular. Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe entered the fray late as Arteta was looking for a win that hasn’t meant anything on paper yet, getting back into form after the weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa. And that means a lot to the nursery.
It makes enthusiasts roll their eyes when denied the best chance to see the next generation in action, but Arteta obviously needs all the senior appearances to be fully deserved. They need Arsenal to be a ruthless winning device and, tonight, that meant there was no room. by feelings.
PSV 1-1 Arsenal pic. twitter. com/kJ4iXvS8uz
Pepi has already secured himself a little piece of PSV history. His name will forever be associated with this European campaign after his last-gasp goal completed a sensational turnaround at Sevilla to seal qualification. However, until tonight, all 19 of his Eredivisie and Champions League appearances this term had come from the bench.
Peter Bosz gave the 20-year-old USMNT striker a chance and had an excellent chance to make a packed Philips Stadion ecstatic in the 4th minute. Gabriel’s one-on-one block was remarkable but, 4 meters from goal, Pepi didn’t give him any chance. It was a terrible failure.
Impressively, the youngster overcame this mistake to lead the line intelligently, playing a key role in PSV’s lightning counterattacks. It took too long to complete one of the goals before the break, allowing Saliba to rise to the challenge, but his way to Vertessen left the most productive centre-back in the Premier League at the moment munching on the turf. All in all, it’s another step in the right direction for the El Paso native.
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MALIK TILLMAN ➡️ RICARDO PEPI ➡️ YORBE VERTESSEN Show more
It’s the 22-year-old’s first goal of the #UCL pic. twitter. com/gsVlI90uce ?
Full-time: Well, since this match had nothing to do with it, it was quite entertaining. Without a doubt, PSV overshadowed and in fact deserved the equalizer thanks to Yorbe Vertessen’s goal at the start of the second half. Eddie Nketiah scored a beautiful goal, which does not hurt him in a season in which Gabriel Jesus does not uproot any trees. Both groups have qualified, Arsenal won the group, but we knew that before the start. Thank you so much for joining us.
90th minute+7: ARSENAL ALMOST WIN IT! Trossard wriggles into space inside the box and Benitez saves brilliantly. The rebound falls to Kiwior, which is ultimately a very handy state of affairs for PSV.
90th minute 6: Junior takes a long-range shot, but Ramsdale sees it all and makes a stoppage.
90th minute 1: In six minutes of added time.
89th minute: Gabriel completely misses an interception midway through the game. He replaces Til with a chance to win it, but misses his shot and savagely crushes the goal. A moment for everyone.
88th minute: Jesus is coming on with Smith Rowe. Nelson and Havertz making way. Arteta really wants to win this.
86th minute: Emile Smith Rowe comes on. A much-appreciated return after an injury.
83rd minute: VAR check completed: no goal. The appeal is upheld. Kiwior was converted, but Gabriel was very involved in the play.
Minute 81: IN THE ARSENAL NET. . . BUT THEY RAISED THE OFF OF PLAY FLAG. There is VAR control. Martin Odegaard’s free kick aimed at Gabriel, who is definitely offside. Kiwior, who seemed to be in the game, jumps home with the Brazilian.
78th minute: Tillman believes Kiwior has delayed him in the Arsenal area. The referee rightly disagrees.
74th minute: Dest replaces Saibari, while Bakayoko makes way for PSV’s enthralling teenager Babadi. Bakayoko doesn’t seem enthusiastic. He’s laughing there.
72nd minute: Rice rises to direct Bakayoko’s shot with Pepi hidden.
71st minute: Bakayoko gets Arsenal scrambling, Jorginho brings him down unceremoniously and PSV have a free-kick in a dangerous position on the right-hand side of the penalty area.
66th minute: PSV HIT THE POST AGAIN! Saibari gets the better of makeshift centre-back Rice. The Arsenal man gets a foot in to deflect the shot that Ramsdale touches onto the inside of his right post. The ball bounces to safety and Arsenal get away with one.
65th minute: Nelson bursts into the box, a small big step to beat Obispo and shoots into the net. Once again, the Gunners faithful at the other end of the pitch jump.
62nd minute: Oh no, it’s Elneny’s career. The midfielder has fallen on hard times with injuries in recent years and it looks like his hamstring has been lost. Odegaard came on in his place, with Rice and White replacing Soares and White. It will be Rice in central defense.
59th minute: Nketiah breaks through with a cross from Soares at the far post. The ball flows and goes into the net. Arsenal fans at the other end of the pitch realised he had gone in.
Minute 57: PSV advance again. The zone between Arsenal’s midfield and defense allows them to do damage in transitions. Trossard is a little unsure of his position and goes after him. A frantic pace ensues, with Van Aanholt having a long-range shot blocked.
50th minute: GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!! Yorbe Vertessen!!!!!
Vertessen hit the post in the first half and does so again here, but his shot on the end of Pepi’s pass bounces across the goal and nestles in the left corner. That’s a clinical finish. Arsenal have ambled into this half a bit and were undone by a straight ball through the middle, with Saliba uncharacteristically caught out.
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MALIK TILLMAN ➡️ RICARDO PEPI ➡️ YORBE VERTESSEN
It’s the 22-year-old’s first goal in the #UCL. ? pic. twitter. com/gsVlI90uce
47th minute: Tillman advances from midfield. Bakayoko set up Vertessen for a shot from outside the box, but the PSV striker missed.
46th minute: We’re back underway. No changes for either side.
Half-time: PSV provided plenty of attacking threat, but a heavily disrupted Arsenal evolved into the game and Reiss Nelson and Edde Nketiah combined for the latter to score a fine goal shortly before half-time. See you soon here.
45+2 minute+2: More incisive work from Bakayoko. He’s so direct. Ramsdale does well to turn his shot behind and Nketiah clears the Belgium youngster’s right-wing corner.
Minute 45 1: There was only one VAR review for a possible PSV penalty. Jorginho was lightly holding Saibari’s blouse, but there was nothing on it. If it had happened, Mikel Arteta would have shouted “clear and obvious” to the sky until the end of time.
43rd minute: PSV seek an instant response. Unsurprisingly the livewire Bakayoko is involved but Pepi is off-target when he meets his right-wing cross at the near post.
42nd minute: GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!! Eddie Nketiah!!!!!
Well, there’s some pretty meaningful contact. Nelson attacks PSV from the inside right position, plays a one-two with Soares and finds Nketiah. The England international takes a touch to get the ball out of his feet and clips a left-footed shot past Benitez all in the blink of an eye. A textbook centre-forward’s finish.
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First start at #UCL ✅
First goal of the #UCL ✅
Eddie Nketiah loves life in the Champions League tonight!pic. twitter. com/bntwZ544AD
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Brilliant move and wonderful finish ?
Eddie Nketiah puts the Gunners ahead ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/K16yQWg4dq
41st minute: Trossard collects a ball with his left foot. It seems like an opportunity for Nketiah, but the one who leans forward fails to make any meaningful contact.
35th minute: Magnificent play in PSV’s midfield, played at right-back by Bakayoko. Pepi and Saibari exchange passes but the weight of the ball is a bit low and this allows Saliba to come back and block Pepi’s resulting shot. Arsenal saw danger from the resulting corner.
32nd minute: Another cross that Arsenal does not protect well. Luckily for them, this time, the ball breaks over Teze and puts him into orbit.
Minute 29: Oh, close! Elneny got carried away by Tillman in midfield and fired a low shot that deflected off the left post. Benitez struggled and I don’t think he would have done so if the Egypt international’s shot had gone on target.
25th minute: Best of Arsenal. A clever move that allows Trossard to locate a small area on the left. His ball to the far post goes past Havertz.
22nd minute: Now Bakayoko is getting closer for the home side! The Belgian foreigner overcame a comfortable attack from his compatriot Trossard, saw things open up from 25 yards out and fired a strong shot that deflected just beyond the far corner.
19 minutes: OFF THE STAND! Teze’s cross headed towards goal through Vertessen, but hit the post and bounced back. Ramsdale could have covered that, anyway.
18 mins: Trossard intervenes on the left and wins a free kick for obstruction. Its functionality is decent, but Havertz was under pressure and couldn’t turn his head towards the target.
13 mins: Some concern here for Ramsdale, who’s asked for treatment on his right ankle. He won’t want his Champions League debut to end after less than a quarter of an hour. He seems okay to continue for now.
10 mins: Nelson frees Nketiah on the counter and the striker’s shot is blocked for a corner by Ramalho. It was a poor move by Trossard, but Cedric Soares covered the box well to quell a quick breakaway from PSV.
6 mins: Why didn’t Pepi score? A great break that ended with a low cross from Bakayoko to Van Aanholt. Saliba does just enough to slide and intercept, and when the ball falls to Pepi, Gabriel stretches out his leg to save you the sure goal.
4 mins: As expected, the start of the match was quiet. Ramsdale had just attempted a very good long pass to Leandro Trossard, who was unable to stop the game. That would have been an early pass!
We are on our way!
5 minutes before the start: Groups exit the tunnel in Eindhoven. The strain may no longer be on those groups in terms of ranking, but there are plenty of players who will need to put in a standout performance, adding the USMNT ahead. Ricardo Pepi.
25 minutes before kick-off: Aaron Ramsdale returns to the Arsenal XI tonight. It’s been a tough crusade for England’s foreigner after squandering his position against David Raya. However, the goalkeeper on loan from Brentford was again fragile in the 1-0 win at the weekend. defeat to Aston Villa in form. A confident performance from Ramsdale tonight would, in fact, keep that verbal exchange going.
45 minutes before kick-off: Arsenal have qualified thanks to 4 wins out of five at the organisational level so far. A win tonight would equal the five wins achieved by Arsene Wenger’s Gunners in 2005/06. They won so many organization games in a single season and made it to the finals that season.
1h5min before kick-off: this is what PSV XI looks like. USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi leads the line for the hosts, one of five changes from the team that beat Heerenveen 2-0 to reach its 100-cent Eredivisie record.
The stage is yours ✨#PSVARS #UCL pic.twitter.com/uEiUbvqwer
1h10 before kick-off: Meet the Arsenal team. Perhaps a little more potent than expected, with the starting centre-back duo William Saliba and Gabriel in the line-up.
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? @biel_m04 at the back
© Jorginho captains the side
⚡️ @reissnelson9 in attack
Come on you Gunners ✊ pic.twitter.com/KY15EBBH5Z
1 hr 20 mins prior to kickoff: Team news will be with us shortly and we’re anticipating a first Arsenal appearance for Ethan Nwaneri since the teenager became his club’s youngest ever player with an appearance off the bench against Brentford last season. Attacking midfielder Nwaneri still doesn’t turn 17 until next March. As you can see from the post below, he’s coming into this one in pretty good form.
Young @Arsenal prospect Ethan Nwaneri scored 5️⃣ in their #FAYouthCup win over Crewe Alexandra at the weekend? ? #EmiratesFACup pic. twitter. com/xKtiamMu7I
1 hour and 40 minutes before kick-off: There’s nothing like a Champions League night with everything to play for and everything on the line. Alternatively, how about we go into a Champions League night with nothing to play for and nothing at stake?Arsenal are confident of occupying the most sensible spot in Group B, with PSV finishing second. As such, we may have a Christmas party, with both coaches seeing amazing things and unfamiliar faces making their own calls. It’s going to be fun. Wait and see.
2 hours before kick-off: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News blog covering PSV vs Arsenal in tonight’s Champions League match.
We’re in the Champions League ?
? It’s time to move on to internal ? education
PSV head coach Peter Bosz gave some of his fringe players a chance in this game, with key duo Hirving Lozano and Noa Lang ruled out. Sergiño Dest was among the substitutes, but his USMNT teammate Ricardo Pepi started in attack.
PSV line-up (4-3-3, left to right): Benítez (GK) – Teze, Ramalho, Obispo, Mauro Junior – Tillman, Van Aanholt, Saibari – Bakayoko, Pepi, Vertessen.
Arteta’s injury list has not changed for this match with Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Fabio Vieira until 2024. However, this clash presents an ideal opportunity for the Gunners to give some breathing room to the key names that have been ubiquitous this season. Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah will be in the starting lineup.
Arsenal line-up (4-3-3, left): Ramsdale (GK) – Soares, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior – Elneny, Jorginho, Havertz – Nelson, Nketiah, Trossard.
The PSV vs Arsenal Champions League match will kick off at 18:45 at Philips Stadion Eindhoven time.
Below are the corresponding schedules, TV channels, and broadcasts to see the adjustment in some of the major regions of the world.