Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal resurgence continued on Thursday night as his third goal of the campaign earned the Gunners an all-important 1-0 victory over PSV and safe passage to the Europa League knockout phases.
Mikel Arteta’s side have carried their irrepressible Premier League form into European competition this term, emerging triumphant in all four of their Group A fixtures to wrestle control of the four-team proceedings.
In doing so, they have won three in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since April 2019.
Should Arsenal get a result in the reverse leg of the PSV tie in Holland next week, they will qualify as group winners and earn a useful bye for the competition’s round of 32 – even more vital in a season where a winter World Cup has truncated the fixture calendar.
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The pivotal move arrived four minutes after Arteta introduced Martin Odegaard from the substitutes bench, with the Norwegian playing a decisive role in the build-up to the only goal of the night.
Takehiro Tomiyasu freed himself down the right, before dinking a pass into the path of a well-advanced Xhaka, who applied a first-time finish in the 70th minute, prompting the manager to praise the “unquestionable love” the Swiss international has for the club, and his trade.
“I’m happy to see him enjoying his career again,” the Spaniard said of Xhaka post-match.
Arteta came face to face with an old foe in the opposition dugout at the Emirates Stadium, with opposite number Ruud van Nistelrooy playing a key part in the intense rivalry Manchester United shared with Arsenal in the 2000’s, albeit during slightly different eras.
Having been appointed PSV boss in the summer, Van Nistelrooy has not wasted any time in imparting his goalscoring prowess on his new charges, with his team having netted 17 goals in the four games prior to arriving in north London.
But the Eredivisie outfit lacked cutting edge in a tie where they were firmly second-best throughout. “Today we should score many more goals,” Arteta concluded, with Xhaka’s half-volley the only breakthrough. The midfielder has now scored as many goals in all competitions this season as in his previous three combined.
PSV winger Cody Gakpo, who has nine goals and seven assists in 10 Dutch league games this season and is the subject of reported Premier League interest, was kept unusually quiet by another rock-solid Tomiyasu display.
The only brief moment of concern was for the welfare of Bukayo Saka, whose trickery landed him in trouble in the 74th minute, but Arteta later confirmed it was “just a kick.”
Arteta: Players full of confidence but need ‘managing’
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Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta:
“I think we had really good moments, I think we were very dominant in the game against a really good side. We lacked that final pass, that final shot. Too many shots were off target in really open situations that we could do better. But I’m very happy to win again and we have qualified, which is the first step.
“In Europe, you have to control the opponent because they are really talented, they are used to winning in their competition. The amount of goals they have scored in the last four games is incredible. I wanted to be cautious and not start to take unnecessary risks or lose our shape and I think we were really composed and mature in that sense.
“He [Saka] is OK. I think he will be OK. Just a kick.
“As I said before, when you have the chance in Europe, take it. We have done our bit as we are qualified right now, but the difference in finishing first or second is big and we want to get the job done. It’s about managing the temperature of the team. This is the challenge. The confidence is there, you can see that.”
Does Saka need a break?
Arteta insisted he has no qualms in playing 21-year-old Saka at every opportunity this season.
The England forward had missed just 179 minutes of club football this term before being forced off in the 85th minute against PSV. He has scored five goals in his 14 appearances.
“Look at the top players in the world, they play 70 matches, every three days and make the difference and win the game,” Arteta said.
“You want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that. And if we start to put something different in the mind of a young player, I think we are making a huge mistake.
“I don’t want that. I want them to be ruthless every three days. I want them knocking on my door saying ‘I want to play, I want to win the game’.”
Van Nistelrooy backs Arsenal for title challenge
PSV head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy:
“I was able to share my appreciation for Mikel [Arteta], the way he’s building his team, the way he’s letting his team play, the signings he’s made to make his team play the way he wants to play and he is connecting it with results.
“And if you are 10 games in the Premier League, winning nine of them, you’re definitely a contender.
“Obviously, it is the youngest team in the Premier League, more or less. So that is the challenge. But they have the squad for it and the quality for it and the manager for it.”
What’s next?
Sunday 23rd October 1:00pm Kick off 2:00pm
Arsenal will look to maintain their scintillating start to the Premier League season at Southampton‘s St Mary’s Stadium on October 23, live on Super Sunday, before meeting PSV again in seven days’ time.