Arsenal 2-2 PSV (agg 9-3): Gunners lose perfect home record in Champions League last-16 cruise | OneFootball

Gunners safely through to Champions League quarter-final

Arsenal were just too good for PSV over two legs

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Arsenal have reached the Champions League quarter-final in successive seasons following a 9-3 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven.

As his side already had one foot in the quarter-final ahead of kick-off, Mikel Arteta opted to rotate his team with Sunday’s Premier League clash at home to Chelsea in mind.

Seven changes from the side that started the 1-1 draw with Manchester United as Ben White, Jorginho and Myles Lewis-Skelly returned, Raheem Sterling and Jakub Kiwior were handed rare starts, while Arteta experimented with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney in new roles.

PSV boss Peter Bosz picked a side that suggested his focus was on catching Ajax in the Eredivisie title race as Noa Lang, Luuk de Jong and Olivier Boscagli - all starters in Eindhoven - were named among the substitutes.

It did not take long for the first goal of the night as Sterling won the ball on the right wing and Zinchenko did the rest. Cutting inside on to his favoured left foot, the Arsenal number 35 got to the edge of the penalty area before finding the back of the net with a wonderful left-footed finish.

Having previously played for PSV, there was no celebration from the Ukrainian international. Similar could be said about Ivan Perisic after he arrowed a strike into the top corner to level the game on the night, though his lack of a celebration was most likely down to the fact his side trailed 8-2 on aggregate at that point.

A few minutes before the break, Sterling grabbed his second assist of the night. He beat two PSV players down the right, got to the byeline and hung up up an excellent cross picking out Declan Rice’s charing run and he met the delivery with a bullet header for his second goal in as many games.

Couhaib Driouech equalised on the night with a wonderful dinked finish to end Arsenal’s perfect winning record at home in the Champions League this season, though it was a professional job from Arteta’s side as they look forward to a quarter-final against one of the Madrid clubs next month.