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Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, March 12.
The result sees the Gunners advance to the quarter-finals 9-3 on aggregate, having won the first leg 7-1. They will now face Real Madrid in the next round on April 8 and 16.
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Arsenal made a strong start to this contest and picked up where they left off in the first leg. Oleksandr ZInchenko put the hosts 1-0 up after just six minutes after a lovely assist from Raheem Sterling to play him through. However, Ivan Perisic leveled the contest for PSV just 12 minutes later, converting a pass from Guus Til to bring the visitors back into the contest.
Despite facing this setback, Arsenal continued to push forward and created multiple chances later in the first period. Declan Rice restored the Gunners' one-goal cushion in the 37th minute, with Sterling bagging another assist. PSV were unable to find a reply for the second goal as they were trailing 2-1 heading into the half-time interval.
Despite the tie being in the bag for a long time, Mikel Arteta showed respect for PSV, the Champions League and the sport itself as he named a strong lineup, and did not make too many changes. The first set of changes came after the hour-mark, with Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori being brought on. However, the fourth and last goal of the match was scored by PSV.
Midfielder Isaac Babadi set up winger Couhaib Driouech with a sweet pass to play him through, with the latter scoring to make it 2-2 after 70 minutes. The teams shared the ball nearly equally throughout the game, meaning neither side had an advantage in that sense. However, despite two other shots on target in the second period, PSV were unable to find another leveler.
Arsenal secured a draw and advanced to the next round, and on that note, here are their player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya - 7/10
Raya made three good saves for Arsenal between the sticks in this match. He also played nine accurate long balls.
Benjamin White - 6.5/10
After several months on the sidelines, White looked marginally rusty and was duly subbed off as well.
Jakub Kiwior - 6/10
Kiwior had a subpar game in central defense and also picked up a booking for a foul.
Gabriel - 7/10
Gabriel won three duels at the back, making three clearances, two blocks and one tackle as well. He passed the ball with 96% accuracy.
Myles Lewis-Skelly - 7/10
He won all three of his duels in defence, playing one key pass as well. Lewis-Skelly also hit the woodwork on one occasion.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7.5/10
Zinchenko put in a strong performance in midfield as he played one key pass and scored one goal as well. His positioning and presence of mind in midfield made it seem like he is familiar with the role due to a similar role with Ukraine.
Jorginho - 6/10
Jorginho was below par in this match as Arsenal captain as he was dispossessed 11 times, won just one duel and failed to make an impact going forward.
Declan Rice - 7.5/10
Rice passed the ball with 91% accuracy and also scored a goal in a good performance. However, he also picked up a booking for a foul.
Raheem Sterling - 8/10
Sterling had a quality game for the Gunners as he provided two assists in the first period itself. He also attempted two shots on target and won five duels as well.
Mikel Merino - 6.5/10
Merino failed to attempt a single shot but won seven duels, making three tackles and one clearance as well.
Kieran Tierney - 6.5/10
Tierney passed the ball with 83% and also won two duels in a decent performance out on the left flank for Arsenal.
Substitutes
Riccardo Calafiori - 6.5/10
He replaced Rice and made a decent impact on the proceedings.
Leandro Trossard - 6/10
He replaced Merino and could not alter the course of the match.
Jurrien Timber - 6/10
He replaced White and put in a subpar performance for his team.
Martin Odegaard - 6.5/10
He replaced Zinchenko and put in a decent performance to close out the match.
Gabriel Martinelli - 6.5/10
He replaced Tierney late in the game and put in a decent cameo.
