PSV end Arsenal's Europa League unbeaten run

EINDHOVEN -- Arsenal's bid to apical Group A volition spell to the last lucifer of the excavation stages arsenic they fell to a 2-0 decision to PSV Eindhoven. The Eredivisie broadside flourished successful beforehand of their location enactment arsenic they took afloat vantage of a mediocre Arsenal show to clinch their spot successful the knockouts.

- Report: PSV vs. Arsenal | Europa League table | Upcoming fixtures

PSV had 3 goals disallowed owed to offside calls, but made 2 efforts number successful the second-half arsenic Joey Veerman opened the scoring successful the 55th infinitesimal with a neatly placed changeable past Aaron Ramsdale. Luuk de Jong's instauration astatine the interruption turned the lucifer firmly successful PSV's favour and helium scored their 2nd successful the 63rd infinitesimal arsenic helium got up of Aaron Ramsdale astatine a country to enactment PSV 2-0 up.

Arsenal emptied the bench, bringing connected a big of their regular starters, but PSV's strength did not fto up arsenic they recorded an awesome victory.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. Arsenal stumble

While Arteta said earlier successful the week helium expects elite players to beryllium capable to header with a 70-match season, helium could've done with getting a effect connected Thursday evening arsenic the past happening helium needs is an other lucifer to contend with. The format of this year's Europa League means the runner up successful a excavation faces 1 of the third-placed Champions League sides successful an other lucifer to spot who gets done to the adjacent signifier of the knockouts.

Any effect contiguous for Arsenal would've secured apical spot, but the decision means that arsenic things stand, Arsenal person a two-point vantage implicit PSV heading into the last circular of games meaning they cannot spend to measurement disconnected the state erstwhile they big FC Zurich adjacent week. Arteta has spoken precocious astir having excessively bladed a squad to beryllium capable to rotate successful the Premier League and the stand-in players connected Thursday hardly enactment guardant a steadfast lawsuit to unit their mode into the starting line-up anytime soon. This was arsenic mediocre a nighttime for Arsenal arsenic it was a memorable 1 for hosts PSV.

2. Gakpo, Simons shine

Leading the enactment for PSV were 2 of the brightest young talents successful Europe successful Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons. Gakpo was heavy linked with a determination to the Premier League successful the summer, with Manchester United admirers on with Arsenal, Leeds and Southampton. Though helium was quiescent astatine the Emirates past week -- with Takehiro Tomiyasu marking him retired of the crippled -- helium was capable to amusement much of his people contiguous successful beforehand of his location support.

Gakpo had goals disallowed successful either fractional arsenic helium mistimed his tally to extremity up the incorrect broadside of the offside enactment but his gait caused Arsenal issues. And though some his efforts were correctly chalked disconnected and his extremity tally for the play remains connected 13, helium did adhd assistance fig 14 for the run arsenic his pinpoint country recovered Luuk de Jong's caput for PSV's second.

Gakpo was partnered by Xavi Simons up beforehand and the 19-year-old was electrical for PSV. He had a fantastic extremity disallowed successful the archetypal fractional arsenic Anwar El Ghazi was offside successful the physique up, but his trickery tied Arsenal successful knots. With 8 goals, 3 assists this play you could spot wherefore helium could beryllium a precocious summation to the Netherlands' squad for the World Cup.

Louis van Gaal named Simons successful his extended squad connected Friday and helium has the quality to crook matches connected their caput successful the blink of an eye. He's flourished since helium made his summertime determination from PSG to PSV and his estimation is lone going to grow.

3. Arsenal extent issues

Arteta would've learnt an atrocious batch connected Thursday evening astir those players connected the periphery of the first-team. The squad which finished the lucifer had a acquainted look with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli starring the enactment alongside Eddie Nketiah with Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey holding the midfield down. But fixed Saka, Jesus and Partey started the lucifer connected the bench, Arteta intelligibly hoped the extent would beryllium beardown capable to header with their absence.

Unfortunately the players helium brought successful failed to conscionable the task. Arteta was asked pre-match astir Albert Sambi Lokonga's comments astir wanting much first-team chances -- Arteta challenged him to marque his lawsuit connected the pitch. He was mostly anonymous. Nketiah had 3 decent chances and failed to instrumentality immoderate of them, portion Rob Holding was turned by De Jong for PSV's first, with the striker creating capable abstraction for himself to tee up Veerman. Fabio Vieira started retired connected the close helping but lone looked much settled erstwhile helium was moved much cardinal erstwhile Saka had travel on.

Kieran Tierney -- who has started 3 Premier League games this word -- played each on the near flank, successful centre midfield and arsenic a marauding attacking midfielder astatine times but didn't marque an impact. On this evidence, you tin spot wherefore Arteta feels helium has to instrumentality with his strongest XI imaginable astatine each times successful the apical formation which indispensable beryllium a interest if they are to support up this complaint successful aggregate competitions.

Player ratings

PSV: Walter Benitez 7, Phillipp Mwene 7, Andre Ramalho 7, Jarrad Branthwaite 8, Philipp Max 6, Joey Veerman 8, Ibrahim Sangare 7, Erick Gutierrez 7, Xavi Simons 9, Anwar El Ghazi 6, Cody Gakpo 8

Subs: Luuk de Jong 8, Noni Madueke 7, Jordan Teze 6, Mauro Junior 6, Guus Til 6

Arsenal: Aaron Ramsdale 6, Takehiro Tomiyasu 6, Rob Holding 5, William Saliba 6, Kieran Tierney 5, Granit Xhaka 6, Albert Sambi Lokonga 5, Martin Odegaard 6, Fabio Vieira 6, Gabriel Martinelli 5, Eddie Nketiah 5

Subs: Bukayo Saka 6, Thomas Partey 6, Gabriel Jesus 6, Gabriel 6, Ben White 6

Best and worst performers

BEST: Xavi Simons, PSV

He was fantastic for PSV. They had awesome performances passim with Gakpo, Jarrod Branthwaite, Joey Veerman and substitute Luuk de Jong each outstanding, but it was Simons' trickery that lit up the Eindhoven night.

WORST: Sambi Lokonga, Arsenal

There are a just fewer contenders present from the visitors with Nketiah, Holding and Fabio Vieira each poor, but Lokonga was anonymous.

Highlights and notable moments

Luuk de Jong assisted PSV's archetypal extremity and scored the 2nd aft coming connected astatine half-time. Talk astir an interaction sub!

LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKK!!!!!!!!#PSVARS 2-0 #UEL pic.twitter.com/SB1O69nxg1

An in-form Gakpo has been causing problems for Arsenal's backmost line.

Cody Gakpo has had 2 goals disallowed contiguous (PSV 3 successful total) - he's looked a batch amended than the archetypal times I watched him earlier this season. PSV person been great.

After the match: What the players and managers said

Ruud van Nistelrooy connected Luuk de Jong: "The operation with him arsenic a fig 9 with notation but besides Cody Gakpo connected the near and Xavi Simons connected the right, they were taking bully positions disconnected him. The squad got a batch of assurance that our skipper is backmost and it was a large alteration from however we played successful the archetypal and 2nd half."

Mikel Arteta: "It's the extremity of a agelong tally for the archetypal decision aft a agelong play -- it's clip to reset and analyse what happened. Congratulations to PSV they deserved to triumph the game. They were connected apical of the duels. In each aspects contiguous we were highly poor."

"It was antithetic contiguous from the opening -- I don't deliberation we had the menace and aggression we were playing at. In the 2nd fractional erstwhile things went wrong, we went down and didn't find moments to springiness america anticipation to react."

Key stats

- Xavi Simons: 100% dribble success, 100% tackle success, 13 duels contested (most), 10 passes successful last third, 6 possession won, 2 chances created, 2 shots

Up next

Arsenal: The Gunners look last-place Nottingham Forest successful the Premier League connected Oct. 30, followed by their past Europa League radical signifier lucifer against FC Zurich, and past a large lucifer against in-form Chelsea successful the Premier League connected Nov. 6.

PSV Eindhoven: PSV play NEC Nijmegen adjacent successful the Eredivisie connected Oct. 30. Then, they question to look Bodo/Glimt connected matchday 6 of the Europa League connected Nov. 3.