Photograph: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters
This was merely an obligation to fulfil and, with the outcome of scant consequence, Arsenal joined PSV Eindhoven in serving up a presentable enough spectacle. Nobody could have expected anything edgier although one wonders exactly what it would have taken for Mikel Arteta to give Ethan Nwaneri, Reuell Walters or Lino Sousa a dose of big-game experience. The three youngsters in his travelling party remained on the bench throughout and any of them would surely have gained more from a runout than, say, the 89th-minute substitute Gabriel Jesus.
Arteta, though, had been determined to win and that looked distinctly possible when Eddie Nketiah put them ahead before the interval. A lively home side equalised through Yorbe Vertessen and probably deserved more on the balance of chances. Nobody, though, was ever going to leave this dead rubber feeling particularly unhappy.
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If nothing else, the occasion’s context demonstrated how far both sides have come since October 2022. Back then a Cody Gakpo-inspired PSV beat Arsenal 2-0 here in the Europa League group stage, ultimately finishing second in the standings behind their visitors.
This time, on a much more exalted stage, the same ranking was guaranteed with a game to spare. The head-to-head tiebreaker, which numbs potentially fascinating finales too often, ensured Lens could not overhaul Peter Bosz’s team so everybody present could settle in for a night of minimal jeopardy.
Arteta opted for experienced selection whose youngest member, Jakub Kiwior, turns 24 in February. Kiwior, like Nketiah and Aaron Ramsdale, at least had a case to press; there was little suggestion Cédric Soares, whose previous action this season had amounted to three minutes in the Carabao Cup win at Brentford in September, would shift the dial regardless of his performance here.
The decision to pick William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, the indispensable centre-back partnership, appeared risky but spoke of the slim defensive options available to Arteta. Both combined in the sixth minute to prevent an opener for PSV, who have won 15 successive Eredivisie games under Bosz and were themselves heavily rotated.
It was Saliba who, in combination with Ramsdale, denied the veteran Patrick van Aanholt at point-blank range after Johan Bakayoko had streaked beyond Kiwior on the right. Ricardo Pepi appeared sure to convert the loose ball but Gabriel, close to the line, performed heroics to deflect his shot over.
Ramsdale’s bravery in snuffing out the initial chance came with the cost of a nasty collision with Van Aanholt, leading to treatment on his right ankle. David Raya jogged up the touchline in preparation for early deployment but Ramsdale, who hardly needs any more bad luck, was passed fit to continue. Arteta, who would never let his own intensity drop, had seen his players amble through the early stages and used the stoppage to haul them across for an arm-waving conflab.
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Kai Havertz, badly fluffing a free header, could have upped the ante almost immediately but PSV continued to bring most of the intent. Vertessen headed against the outside Ramsdale’s left post and then Bakayoko, a brimming threat, shot just wide with the keeper well beaten. In response Mohamed Elneny, making a rare appearance of his own, strode through midfield before grazing an upright from 25 yards.
Before Nketiah’s smart finish, the tempo had dropped to a virtual standstill. He had just miscued a headed half-chance when Nelson, who had exchanged passes with Soares in a slick move down the right, clipped him into space just inside the area. A manoeuvre on to his left foot and low, cracked shot past Walter Benítez later, the occasion had something to be remembered by.
Ramsdale made a low parry from Bakayoko and then, with the first action after the restart, saw a Vertessen strike flash wide. Within minutes Vertessen, a threat off the left all evening, went one better. A PSV move from the back carved Arsenal open in three passes, Pepi slotting the last of them into his colleague’s path. The finish, delicately placed around Ramsdale, was a stylish way to give PSV the parity they deserved.
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Arteta deployed Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice shortly after the hour; there was novelty value in seeing Rice, who began his career in central defence, slot into Saliba’s position. Within moments he was given a tough reminder of a defender’s lot when Ismael Saibari held him off before hitting the inside of the near post. Both teams were at least seeking a winner, Nelson finding the side netting after a sparkling run.
PSV’s threat receded with the substitution of the Belgium international Bakayoko, a 20-year-old for whom big things plainly await. Kiwior saw a goal ruled out for offside before blasting over with the final kick, spurning his chance to earn a symbolic win.
