PSV 1-7 Arsenal: What Were The Key Talking Points As The Gunners Put One Foot In The Champions League Quarter-Finals?

Putting in what was a sensational performance on Tuesday night, Arsenal all but officially booked their Champions League quarter-final ticket as they stormed their way to a 7-1 romp away at PSV.

Opening the scoring after just 18 minutes and silencing the Philips Stadion as ex-Ajax defender Jurrien Timber headed home at the back stick, Mikel Arteta’s side quickly breezed their way to a 3-0 lead as Ethan Nwaneri and makeshift number nine Mikel Merino pounced on a leaky PSV defence.

While Dutch international Noa Lang might have converted from the penalty spot moments before the interval, that was nothing more than a minor boost for the Lightbulbs.

In the blink of an eye, Arsenal notched a quickfire brace just second after the half-time break as skipper Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard further added to PSV’s misery.

However, with Odegaard notching his second of the night thanks to a wonderful solo effort, things only got better for Arsenal as second-half substitute Ricardo Calafiori notched a famous seventh goal.

Rightfully with one eye already on the quarter-final stage, Arteta’s men will simply be looking to lay down another marker when they welcome PSV to north London next week.

In what was a record-breaking night for the Gunners in Eindhoven, we have taken a look at the main talking points from the Philips Stadion.

Arsenal place all of their eggs in the Champions League basket?

Watching their Premier League title ambitions take what appears to have been a critical blow over the past month, Arsenal are facing the prospect of ending the season without a single piece of silverware to show for their troubles.

With their EFL Cup dreams coming to a thumping end last month as they fell to a 4-0 aggregate defeat against Newcastle, Arteta’s side could place all of their eggs in the Champions League basket.

Currently sat 13 points adrift of runaway leaders Liverpool, a genuine European charge over the next few months will certainly be Arteta’s sole priority going forward.

Storming their way to a famous first-leg advantage here and with one foot already in the quarter-final stage, Arsenal will now be keeping a close eye on how things unfold in the Spanish capital next week.

Watching Los Blancos claim their own first-leg advantage thanks to a 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, Arteta will already be putting plans together for a last eight showdown against eight Atletico Madrid or defending champions Real.

The Gunners run rampant in the final third

With attacking talisman Bukayo Saka still sidelined with a hamstring injury, Arsenal have also confirmed that both Kai Havertz and Brazilian marksman Gabriel Jesus are set to miss the remainder of the season.

Drastically short of attacking options and failing to bring in any striking reinforcements during the January transfer window, Arteta has had to do some real juggling in the final third.

Forced to settle for a 0-0 stalemate away at Nottingham Forest last weekend, Tuesday’s guests headed over to Eindhoven having failed to find the net in three of their previous four domestic appearances.

However, despite their glaring attacking issues over the past month, the Gunners certainly kicked into top gear here and will take plenty of positives away from a sensational performance away from the Emirates.

Notching seven goals on the Champions League stage for the first time in their history, Arteta’s makeshift squad certainly laid down what was a real statement of intent on foreign soil.

A public nightmare for PSV

Collecting what was a heavyweight Champions League scalp last month as they edged past Italian giants Juventus, PSV opened Tuesday’s return to Eindhoven dreaming of another famous night at the Philips Stadion.

However, despite writing real history on February 19th, Peter Bosz’s side have come crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion and should be bracing themselves for another public backlash.

Completely blown away on home soil and breaking plenty of unwanted records here, it is no surprise that PSV have really shown some glaring defensive issues since opening the New Year.

Failing to pick up any kind of momentum over the weekend as they slumped to an action-packed 3-2 loss against the Go Ahead Eagles, Tuesday’s hosts have lost their last three appearances across all competitions by an aggregate score of 12-4.

Already watching their quarter-final dreams go up in smoke, the Lightbulbs will simply look to save some level of respect when they travel to north London next week.

Match Report

PSV: Benitez, Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Malacia, Schouten, Saibari, Perisic, Til, Lang, de Jong

Subs: Karsdorp, Bakayoko, Obispo, Nagalo, Veerman

Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Merino

Subs: White, Tierney, Zinchenko, Sterling, Calafiori

Goals: PSV: Lang (43’ P) – Arsenal: Timber (18’), Nwaneri (21’), Merino (31’), Odegaard (47’, 73’), Trossard (48’), Calafiori (85’)

Yellow Cards: PSV: Malacia – Arsenal: Partey, Lewis-Skelly, Timber

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Jesus Gil