Myles Lewis-Skelly suffers, Martin Odegaard wows – Arsenal ratings in mega PSV win
Mikel Arteta will be absolutely delighted with his team’s performance as Arsenal thrashed PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
With no natural striker available for Arsenal – Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz unavailable – Mikel Merino was entrusted through the middle, though it was Jurrien Timber who opened the scoring on 4 March.
Ethan Nwaneri and Merino then piled on with further goals before Noa Lang grabbed one back from the penalty spot, and the Gunners may have been lucky not to go down to 10 men following Myles Lewis-Skelly’s challenge on a yellow card.
Arsenal really put the Dutch side to the sword in the second half, with Martin Odegaard grabbing a brace either side of a Leandro Trossard goal, all but sealing their spot in the next round.
With five minutes left to play, substitute Riccardo Calafiori notched a seventh and final at the Philips Stadium.
Myles Lewis-Skelly the only negative in Arsenal thrashing
David Raya – 6
Other than the penalty kick, which he could do nothing about, Raya remained positive when claiming crosses and made saves when necessary.
Jurrien Timber (Off for Ben White 77′) – 7
Set the tone for the game, netting the opener after 18 minutes. Did pick up a needless yellow card for time-wasting at 5-1 up.
William Saliba – 7
A stable backline, given little to do as the Gunners’ attacking stars controlled the pace of the game and bagged their spot in the next round of the Champions League unless PSV complete a miracle.
Gabriel – 7
Similar to Saliba, Gabiel was not able to impose himself on the game as much as he’d usually like. Stayed cool, calm and collected in possession, never losing focus at the back.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Off for Riccardo Calafiori 35′) – 2
A difficult night for the youngster, only just avoiding being sent off for the second time in three matches, having been red-carded for Arsenal against West Ham in the Premier League.
| PSV Eindhoven | Arsenal |
| 53% possession | 47% possession |
| 1.38xG | 1.97xG |
| 12 total shots | 15 total shots |
| 2 big chances missed | 1 big chance missed |
| 5 corners | 3 corners |
Martin Odegaard steals the show against PSV Eindhoven
Thomas Partey (Off for Oleksandr Zinchenko 71′) – 5
Continued to dictate the midfield well but had already undone all his hard work when giving away a penalty in the first half. Luckily, it did not come back to haunt the Gunners.
Declan Rice – 8
While he was outshone by Odegaard’s ability on the ball, Rice deserved more than just a single assist, even hitting the back of the net before the offside flag went up. A fine display.
Martin Odegaard – 9
Arsenal fans have been critical of Odegaard recently, but he pulled all the strings in the Netherlands as Arteta’s side fired seven past their Champions League opponents. Just sensational.
Ethan Nwaneri (Off for Raheem Sterling 71′) – 8
An incredible showing from the 17-year-old. Quickly becoming a key figure for Arteta, and the manager will be given a tricky conundrum once Bukayo Saka returns from injury.
Leandro Trossard – 7
Chose the perfect time to score his first goal in 10 games, getting in on the action in the second half to put PSV to bed.
Mikel Merino (Off for Kieran Tierney 77′) – 8
Proved exactly why Arteta trusted him through the middle, instead of someone like Raheem Sterling, who seems to have lost all confidence at the Emirates Stadium. More than just a stop-gap.
Substitutes
Riccardo Calafiori (On for Lewis-Skelly 35′) – 6
Oleksandr Zinchenko (On for Partey 71′) – N/A
Raheem Sterling (On for Nwaneri 71′) – 4
Made a poor impact coming on, unable to get past his opposite number and earn back Arteta’s trust.
Kieran Tierney (On for Merino 77′) – N/A
Ben White (On for Timber 77′) – N/A