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Arsenal vs PSV player ratings – Arsenal marked their Champions League return with an emphatic win against PSV at the Emirates tonight, as Mikel Arteta’s side gained three points in Group B with a 4-0 trouncing of the Dutch giants. Elsewhere, RC Lens and Sevilla drew, putting the Gunners top of their group with a strong goal difference to take forward.
Arsenal vs PSV: Timeline
Contents
08’ – Arsenal take the early lead through Bukayo Saka, who knocked in the rebound from Martin Odegaard’s shot that was parried into the Englishman’s path by Walter Benitez.
20’ – Saka turned from scorer to creator as Leandro Trossard put the Gunners 2-0 up just 12 minutes after their opener, scoring in style from the edge of the box to double the host’s lead.
38′ – Seven minutes before half time, Gabriel Jesus fired in Arsenal’s third after an impressive piece of footwork in the box. The Brazilian rifled a shot past Benitez to make it a very long night ahead for PSV before the interval.
70′ – Captain Martin Odegaard rounded off a sublime performance with an audacious low-driven shot from outside the box, taking his side ahead by four in front of the Clock End.
PSV felt the wrath of Saka after 20 minutes
After rising through the academy, Saka inspired the Gunners on their initial charge back to the Champions League, and marked his debut in the prestigious competition in style.
The Englishman registered his first Champions League goal and assist after just 20 minutes played, showcasing his threat in the final third on the biggest domestic stage for all to see.
⚽️ Time taken to score first #UCL goal:
🇵🇹 Ronaldo: 27 games
🇦🇷 Messi: 5 games
🏴 Saka: 8 minutes pic.twitter.com/0hWGpgnsnA— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 20, 2023
Arsenal vs PSV player ratings: Star Man
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) – 8.5
Arsenal’s captain Martin Odegaard was on top form as he led the Gunners to victory on their Champions League return. The Norwegian not only scored, but dictated the tempo in the middle of the park, as highlighted by his stellar pass completion rate of 91%.
The former Real Madrid starlet recorded three shots on target, as well as providing fans with glimpses of his magic by completing 100% of his dribble attempts.
Arsenal vs PSV player ratings: Firing Gunners blow PSV away
If there was any anxiety over Arsenal’s return to the big time, it was quickly suppressed as the hosts were in control of proceedings from start to finish.
The Gunners dominated possession with 59% of play, as well as registering 2.41 expected goals (xG) to the visitors 0.57, telling of the level of control in their performance in comparison to the last time they had played PSV, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya: 8 – Wasn’t threatened in goal, however was confident in his distribution and was quick to react to danger.
Ben White: 8 – Impressive in the inverted role, stood strong defensively and dominated in his progressive play.
William Saliba: 8 – A brilliant performance by the Frenchman, who showed confidence and strength whenever it was asked of him in central defence.
Gabriel Magalhaes: 7 – Combined well with Saliba and was composed in organising the back line.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 8 – Showed brilliant distribution when moving the ball upfield, acted as another attacker for Arsenal.
Martin Odegaard: 9 – Got his name on the scoresheet after a true captain’s performance in midfield, looked to be a threat every time he touched the ball.
Declan Rice: 7 – Did his job well in what was expected to be a combative midfield, dictated play and protected the back line well.
Kai Havertz: 7 – Looked strong in the middle of the park, made four tackles and maintained a 93% pass rate.
Bukayo Saka: 9 – Scored and assisted within 20 minutes, caused problems on the right flank all evening.
Gabriel Jesus: 8 – Capped off a lively performance with a goal, showed just how good he can be when fully fit for Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard: 9 – Scored and assisted on his Champions League debut, played well as he was introduced in place of Gabriel Martinelli.
Subs:
Jorginho – 6
Emile Smith-Rowe – 6
Fabio Vieira – 7
Reiss Nelson – 6
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6
PSV couldn’t handle the heat of the Gunners
PSV player ratings
Walter Benitez: 6 – Saved PSV from an even worse scoreline, could have done better with some of the goals.
Jordan Teze: 5 – Struggled to contain both Trossard and Nelson when isolated out wide.
Armel Bella-Kotchap: 6 – Put in a good shift on his debut to try and keep Jesus quiet on a difficult night.
Oliver Boscagli: 5 – Poor performance in what was a tiring night for the centre-back against Arsenal’s rampant front three.
Sergino Dest: 5 – Attempted to keep Saka quiet, which lasted all but eight minutes.
Jerdy Schouten: 6 – Put in a good shift in battling the opposition but found it difficult to get his side out of second gear.
Joey Veerman: 5 – Ineffective in a deeper role, caused little threat.
Johan Bakayoko: 6 – Looked to be PSV’s best threat on the flank when on the ball.
Ismael Saibari: 6 – Attempted to dictate play but was well-marshalled by Arsenal’s midfield.
Noa Lang: 5 – Looked lively when on the ball but struggled to impose himself fully.
Luuk de Jong: 5 – Arsenal must have done their homework as they diffused the threat of the in-form forward.
Subs:
Malik Tillman: 5
Hirving Lozano – 5
Andre Ramalho – 5
Yorbe Vertessen – 5
Ricardo Pepi – N/A
The Final Word
Arsenal will hope to continue their level of performance going forward in Group B, while PSV will have to go back to the drawing board to attempt to right their wrongs after conceding four in the opening game.
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