ARSENAL were held to a 1-1 draw by PSV Eindhoven in their final Champions League group stage game.
With the Gunners already qualified for the knockout stages, Mikel Arteta made several changes ahead of the match.
GettyArsenal were held to a 1-1 draw[/caption]
Cedric Soares and Mohamed Elneny both made a rare start, as did Reiss Nelson and Jakub Kiwior.
After a slow start, Eddie Nketiah broke the deadlock with a composed strike to give Arsenal the lead.
However, PSV equalised in the second half through Yorbe Vertessen.
In a game with little consequence for the Gunners, SunSport’s Emillia Hawkins rates the performance.
Aaron Ramsdale – 7
The goalkeeper has understandably been low in confidence in recent months, but he was on form this evening.
He made some excellent saves and couldn’t have done anything to stop PSV’s goal.
GettyAaron Ramsdale made some great saves[/caption]
Cedric Soares – 5
He hasn’t started for the Gunners in a while, but Cedric didn’t look too out of place in the first half.
The defender lost the ball on the odd occasion, but he also attempted some great passes and important blocks.
However, he was arguably at fault for PSV’s equaliser after failing to track back in time to stop Yorbe Vertessen.
William Saliba – 6
He managed to get back to make a heroic last-ditch tackle and keep the score at 0-0 early in the game with the help of Gabriel.
However, his mis-timed attempt at a block led to PSV’s opener.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6
He made a crucial block in the eighth minute to keep Ricardo Pepi’s close-range strike at bay.
But he had Arsenal fans on edge just 10 minutes later after mis-timing a block which almost led to an opening goal for PSV.
Jakub Kiwior – 5
The defender had a quiet game out on the left and gave away a silly free kick on the edge of the box in the second half after a miscommunication with Jorginho.
He also struggled to handle Johan Bakayoko at times.
Kiwior almost scored a winner with his final kick of the game, but he fired his effort wide.
AFPJakub Kiwior struggled at times[/caption]
Jorginho – 6
The Arsenal captain of the evening put on a composed performance but made the odd error in midfield.
Mohamed Elneny – 6
He appeared very shaky in the early stages, losing the ball on two occasions in the opening five minutes.
However, he grew into the game and put on a composed display in midfield, even hitting the post after making a positive run in the first half.
Kai Havertz – 6
The midfielder has massively grown in confidence in recent weeks, but this wasn’t his best display.
He lacked ideas when breaking forward and sometimes slowed down the attack.
Leandro Trossard – 5
Far from his best performance, Trossard struggled to create any real goalscoring opportunities.
He also gave the ball away cheaply on a number of occasions.
Eddie Nketiah – 7
After a slow start, Nketiah popped up at the perfect moment to score his first Champions League goal just before half time.
It was a brilliant finish straight into the bottom-right corner, leaving goalkeeper Walter Benítez with no chance of making the save.
ReutersEddie Nketiah scored an important goal for the Gunners[/caption]
Reiss Nelson – 6
An impressive performance from the winger. He worked his socks off throughout and was able to win the ball in dangerous areas to break up play.
Nelson also got the assist for Nketiah’s opening goal with a great pass.
Substitutes
Martin Odegard (for Elneny, 62) – 6
Added a bit more creativity to the Arsenal midfield when he came on.
Declan Rice (for Cedric, 62) – 6
The midfielder played as a centre-back when he came on to replace Saliba, but he looked slightly out of place at times.
He certainly appears to be much more effective when playing in midfield.
EPADeclan Rice played as a centre-back when he was introduced[/caption]
Ben White (for Saliba, 62) – 6
Composed in defence when he came on.
Gabriel Jesus (for Havertz, 89) – N/A
Didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
Emile Smith Rowe (for Nelson, 89) N/A
Didn’t have enough time to make an impact.