To the surprise of absolutely no one, Arsenal sealed their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 9-3 aggregate win against PSV, drawing 2-2 on the night.
With his side leading 7-1 from the first leg, Mikel Arteta took the opportunity to rest several of his first-choice XI, beginning the game with an intriguing front three of Raheem Sterling, Mikel Merino and Kieran Tierney. Ben White, meanwhile, made his first start since early November.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was operating in Martin Odegaard’s position and the Ukrainian opened the scoring after only six minutes with a fine curling effort. PSV — backed by a typically vociferous band of supporters — pulled level via former Tottenham player Ivan Perisic, before Declan Rice put Arsenal into a 9-2 aggregate lead shortly before half-time.
Arsenal continued to probe after the break but it was PSV who scored the final goal of the tie, Couhaib Driouech dinking the ball over David Raya to give the travelling fans something else to cheer.
Jordan Campbell analyses the game.
Was this Sterling’s best performance for Arsenal?
When Raheem Sterling’s cross was headed in by Declan Rice, it meant the on-loan winger had registered two assists in the opening 37 minutes of the game — more than he had for Arsenal in the rest of the season.
Sterling’s chances have been limited since joining from Chelsea — making only 23 appearances, and just ten of them starts — but this was a night when he showed flashes of his old self.
His first assist came from a sharp turn and ball inside with the outside of his foot. And if quantifying it as an assist was a little generous given the distance and quality of Zinchenko’s strike, then the second more than made up for it.
Sterling received the ball on the touchline and shifted gears twice, first moving past Isaac Babadi before finding a yard on the outside of Tyrell Malacia. Despite moving at full speed, he was able to get good height on his cross before he reached the goal line and duly found Rice, who timed his run and powered his header past Walter Benitez.
Rice heads home Sterling’s cross to put Arsenal 2-1 up (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
It moved Sterling into fourth on the list of English players with the most goal contributions in the Champions League.
45 – Raheem Sterling has registered 45 goal involvements in the UEFA Champions League (27 goals, 18 assists), with only David Beckham (52), Harry Kane (50) and Wayne Rooney (47) registering more among English players. Reminder. pic.twitter.com/INh3llqGYb
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 12, 2025
Sterling could have added another goal when he was played clean through shortly before half-time. He did everything right, driving across the last defender and taking the ball into the box but did not get enough height on his shot to evade the goalkeeper. The supportive applause that followed was the reaction of a crowd who realise that he has been low on confidence and match sharpness. He has managed only 302 minutes of Premier League action and his only goal for the club came against Bolton in the Carabao Cup.
He came close to scoring in the final moments of the game, before a booking — which rules Sterling out of Arsenal’s quarter-final first leg — capped off an eventful night for the former England international.
It has been a frustrating season but, after the disappointment of not getting off the bench at Old Trafford, this was Sterling’s best match in an Arsenal shirt.
Sterling had a chance to score when through one-on-one in the first half (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Is Zinchenko a new midfield option?
For three seasons, Mikel Arteta has resisted playing Oleksandr Zinchenko in midfield. It is the position he played until Pep Guardiola converted him into an inverted left-back — and still often does for Ukraine — but he has been all but phased out of the team in the last 12 months.
His last three cameo roles from the bench have been as a midfielder, however, and against PSV he started there for the first time. Notably, it was on the right of the three rather than the left, in what has become a role owned by the club captain Martin Odegaard.
It only took six minutes for Zinchenko to show that he is a viable option there as he took the ball on the spin after good work from Raheem Sterling and curled a terrific left-footed finish into the far corner from 20 yards out.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
He showed other bright moments with his ability to receive in tight spaces and would have played Mikel Merino through on goal with a slide rule pass, had the Spaniard not stopped his run.
The lack of nimble No 8 options in the squad has been highlighted since Ethan Nwaneri has had to deputise for Bukayo Saka on the right flank. Having sold Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham and loaned Fabio Vieira to Porto in the summer, it left only Odegaard and Nwaneri as creative midfielders whose game is about combining play.
Declan Rice and Mikel Merino are two more powerful options but with the latter playing as a centre forward and Arsenal’s struggle to break down low blocks domestically, Zinchenko could recalibrate the balance of the midfield if he was used as a second No 8 on the left side.
It would leave the midfield a little light in the big games for how Arteta likes to play but in games where they dominate possession, the Ukrainian’s imagination and disguise could help unlock the door — and remove some of the burden on Odegaard and Nwaneri to provide the guile.
Arsenal are all-in on the Champions League now
After six seasons without Champions League football, for Arsenal to have made it to consecutive quarter-finals serves to underline how much of a transformation the club has undergone since Mikel Arteta took over.
Compared to the dramatic penalty shootout win over Porto last season, they went though this time with ease. Had they not rested players following the 7-1 first-leg victory and kept their foot to the floor at the Emirates, they could have equalled Bayern Munich’s record 12-1 aggregate victory over Sporting CP in the last 16 in 2008-09.
Winning both legs would have been a bonus but the result was already in the bag. This was about giving squad players valuable game time and they achieved that with Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, Oleksnadr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney and Raahem Sterling all starting.
The next round represents a major step up in quality, whether it is Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, but Arsenal have established themselves as one of the most consistent and solid teams in Europe.
They will have to show more attacking threat than they did against Bayern Munich last year but the defensive solidity should provide a good base for knockout football.
The only blot on the night was that Raheem Sterling yellow card in the final minute. It was a harsh decision but Declan Rice was also booked seconds before he was substituted, which puts him in dangerous territory as it only takes three yellow cards across the campaign to earn a one-match suspension and he is now on two.
The record is not wiped until the quarter-final stage is complete. Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber, who were brought on as late subs, are also on two and could conceivably have earned a suspension.
It was something that Arsenal could have been more cautious of but this was a tie they swatted aside with ease. As long as their top four place remains assured, the main focus now has to deviate to the Champions League. And they must preserve the energy of their top players for the one chance they have left at landing silverware.
(Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
What did Mikel Arteta say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Arsenal?
Sunday, March 16: Chelsea (H), Premier League, 1.30pm GMT, 9.30am ET
Recommended reading
(Header photo: Getty Images)
