Player Ratings: Arsenal Progress in Champions League with Dominant Aggregate Win | OneFootball

Arsenal Secure Champions League Progression Despite Draw with PSV

Arsenal cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals, their job already completed in the first leg, despite a 2-2 draw against PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates. The Gunners’ monstrous 9-3 aggregate victory underlined their dominance, even as Mikel Arteta made several rotations to his starting XI.

Commanding Aggregate Triumph

Having all but sealed their passage with a crushing display in Eindhoven, Arsenal approached this second leg with a sense of inevitability. Even with changes to the lineup, they controlled much of the contest, though PSV, playing with a freedom born from their hopeless position, managed to restore some pride.

Oleksandr Zinchenko set the tone early, his crisp finish opening the scoring. There was no elaborate celebration, the Ukrainian respectful of the time he spent on loan at PSV years ago. It was a short-lived lead, however, as former Tottenham winger Ivan Perisic levelled, reminding the home crowd of his past Premier League days.

Arsenal’s superiority soon showed again. Declan Rice, introduced back into midfield, drove the team forward and restored their advantage. His effort showcased both composure and technique, reinforcing his growing influence within Arteta’s system.

Yet, if there was a moment to savour for the travelling Dutch supporters, it was Couhaib Driouech’s equaliser. A lapse in Arsenal’s concentration was punished in emphatic fashion, as the winger produced a delightful chip over David Raya, a strike that belonged on the grandest of European stages.

Eyes on the Quarter-Finals

Despite conceding twice, Arsenal were never in real danger of losing control of the tie. The Emirates crowd, more subdued than usual given the overwhelming aggregate score, sensed that this was simply a formality. Arteta took full advantage, handing minutes to squad players and preserving key figures for domestic battles ahead.

For PSV, the damage had already been done in the first leg, but they will take solace in the fight they showed in London. Arsenal, meanwhile, march on, with sterner tests to come in their quest to make a serious challenge in Europe.

Player Ratings

Arsenal

David Raya – 6

Ben White – 6

Jakub Kiwior – 6

Gabriel – 6

Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 8

Jorginho (c) – 54

Declan Rice – 7

Raheem Sterling – 9

Mikel Merino – 6

Kieran Tierney – 6

Substitutes:

PSV Eindhoven

Walter Benitez – 6

Richard Ledezma – 6

Adamo Nagalo – 7

Armando Obispo – 6

Tyrell Malacia – 7

Guus Til – 6

Jerdy Schouten (c) – 6

Isaac Babadi – 8

Johan Bakayoko – 6

Ivan Perisic – 8

Couhaib Driouech – 8

Substitutes: