Our 3️⃣ points as Arsenal easily beaten by PSV | OneFootball

Arsenal succumbed to only their second defeat of the season after a poor performance was punished away at PSV Eindhoven.

Here’s what we made of the action.

Lacklustre Gunners

Following a disappointing draw with Southampton, Arsenal lost away at PSV Eindhoven on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Boss Mikel Arteta had made five changes ahead of the encounter, but this was still a strong Arsenal lineup that should’ve performed at a higher level.

Nothing appeared to be working from the get-go as the Gunners seemed second to every ball, and there could well have been an element of fatigue here.

With 70% possession and 15 shots to only eight from PSV, it might seem like the away side were a little unlucky not to come away with at least a point.

But make no mistake, this was a demolition, and Arsenal were fortunate not to lose by a bigger margin as the Dutch side had no less than three goals ruled out for offside.

It’s by no means time to hit the panic button but the challenge now for the coach is to pick his side up before a home fixture with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Defensive woes

Even when Arsenal went in at half time with the scores locked at 0-0, it was clear that there were issues in the defensive line.

The Gunners were lucky not to have conceded in the opening 45 minutes thanks to VAR yet those frailties were exposed by PSV in the second 45 minutes.

In particular, Aaron Ramsdale’s debut in Europe for Arsenal was a night to forget as his clumsy punch allowed the excellent Luuk de Jong to head home.

The stats show that Arteta’s men were dispossessed on five separate occasions as the hungry home side looked to punish any slight hesitation.

Arteta will likely return to a more settled backline for Sunday’s Premier League action, which should provide Arsenal’s fans some comfort at least.

Simons the star

Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons have been heavily linked with moves away from PSV and both players performed superbly well this evening.

The star, however, was Simons who will be disappointed that his beautifully executed finish was ruled out by VAR.

Over 90 minutes the 19-year-old showed why he has been so heavily featured in the gossip columns.

The ex-Paris Saint-Germain man could yet return to the French capital, as it has been reported that there is a buy-back clause to give his former side first refusal on his signing.

After failing to show his full potential at the Emirates last time out, Simons revealed his true potential this evening and the sky is the limit.