Arsenal 2-2 PSV Eindhoven (9-3 agg): Match report & 3 talking points as Gunners cruise into quarter-finals | OneFootball

Arsenal are into the Champions League quarter-finals for the second year in a row thanks to a 9-3 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice scored for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners in the first half, either side of a clinical strike from ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Ivan Perisic.

A second PSV goal from Couhaib Driouech ensured the Dutch side, having been thrashed on home soil in the first leg, at least left north London with their heads held slightly higher.

How the game unfolded

This tie was over inside 50 minutes of the first leg, but Arsenal didn’t let up by quickly extending their aggregate advantage in the early exchanges. Zinchenko was able to drive infield from an area on the right, moving towards the box an unleashing a powerful curling drive from 20 yards.

Respectfully, the Ukrainian refused to celebrate and gestured apologetically to the travelling PSV fans instead, having spent a season on loan at the club from Manchester City in 2016/17.

Seven goals behind and playing for pride, although even that seemed a stretch, PSV struck back relatively soon afterwards. Finishing an incisive move forward, Perisic managed to dig the ball out from under his feet on the edge of the box to find the top corner.

PSV almost got in front on the night when David Raya smartly tipped a dangerous shot from Driouech behind for a corner, while Myles Lewis-Skelly saw a bundled effort diverted onto the post by goalkeeper Walter Benitez at the other end.

Rice headed Arsenal 2-1 ahead 37 minutes in, restoring the seven-goal aggregate cushion, when Raheem Sterling rolled back the years on the right and delivered an inviting cross into the box. Both sides also had further chances in the closing stages of the half, as Gabriel made a goal-saving challenge on Driouech and Sterling failed to beat Benitez one-on-one.

An important Raya save kept PSV at bay early in the second half, stopping Isaac Babadi’s dipping curler from nestling in the bottom corner. Substitute Joey Veerman blazed over following a promising cutback. Meanwhile, a sharp Arsenal team move just past the hour mark resulted in Riccardo Calafiori firing straight at Benitez from close-range.

Driouech had earlier identified himself as a threat and punished Arsenal with a delightful chip with 20 minutes to go. It had been sloppy in midfield from the Gunners, with the Moroccan youngster played through on goal and cleverly lobbing the ball over the stranded Raya.

Sterling was denied again by Benitez in the final moments, latching onto a dinked pass through PSV’s defence by Martin Odegaard, but unable to beat the quick-to-respond goalkeeper.

Check out the player ratings from Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven here.

Into the quarter-finals

Arsenal are through to the last eight again / Soccrates Images/GettyImages

Arsenal’s place in the quarters was never in doubt from the moment the final whistle blew in Eindhoven last week. But after five years out of the Champions League, it marks two successive appearances in the last eight since their return to Europe’s highest table.

Last season’s journey ended in the quarter-final with defeat to Bayern Munich, and going further this time will be tough once more, faced with holders Real Madrid over two legs next month.

The Gunners haven’t reached the Champions League semi-finals since 2009.

Opportunity to rotate

Mikel Arteta made use of his available squad / ANP/GettyImages

Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Thomas Partey, Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard began this one on the bench, with Arteta using the enormous aggregate lead to rest and rotate several starters.

There was a rare start for Raheem Sterling. But, with Arsenal’s lack of depth, Mikel Merino resumed his bizarre ‘false nine’ role, while full-back Kieran Tierney lined up as the left forward.

The Gunners don’t exactly have much to rotate for, though.

If they beat Chelsea on Sunday, their game in hand on Premier League leaders Liverpool, it will cut the gap to 12 points with nine left to play – still a virtually impossible mountain.

Sterling makes a statement

Raheem Sterling rolled back the years / Soccrates Images/GettyImages

Raheem Sterling was left on the bench as an unused substitute in Sunday’s draw with Manchester United. Arteta brushed it off as nothing particularly meaningful, but it felt like a statement snub given the lack of other attacking options at the manager’s disposal.

The former England winger has struggled to make an impact this season, since Chelsea decided he was surplus to requirements across London. His career is in real danger of petering out prematurely, but his performance here served as proof that he’s not dead just yet.

Sterling came into the game with three goal involvements to his name all season, two of which were against League One’s Bolton Wanderers in an early round of the Carabao Cup. But he laid on both Arsenal goals. Arteta even left him on for the full 90 minutes, although his quest to become the first player to score for four different English clubs in the Champions League went unfulfilled.

A late yellow card means Sterling is suspended for the first leg of the quarter-final.