PSV vs. Arsenal: Ruud van Nistelrooy's men beat Gunners behind Luuk de Jong, clinch spot in knockout stage
CBSN
Goals from Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong carried the hosts in the second half
Perfect no more, Arsenal suffered their first defeat in Europa League this campaign, falling to PSV by a 2-0 result on Thursday. PSV had the ball in the back of the net five times during the match as their counterattack picked Arsenal apart, but it was Ruud van Nistelrooy's introduction of Luuk De Jong that made the difference. The former Barcelona striker assisted Joey Veerman's goal in the 55th minute before scoring one of his own after being fed by Cody Gakpo in the 63rd minute.
The defeat is only Arsenal's second in all competitions but despite taking 15 shots in the match, the Gunners failed to make PSV worry about the match. Losing doesn't hurt Arsenal much as they've already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament but it does mean that Arsenal can't win the group until the final day of play. PSV have earned a spot in the next round as well due to Bodo/Glimt losing 2-1 to Zurich.
This is the first moment of worry for Arsenal as they've now failed to win in two matches. It both shows how excellent their previous performances have been but also how quickly the top spot in the Premier League can slip through their fingers if Mikel Arteta can't keep things fresh. One of the few things that he has been criticized for is not rotating as much as he should as with matches coming thick and fast, key players have been slightly leggy as of late.
