Arsenal beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0, and Granit Xhaka scored the game’s only goal. This put Arsenal into the next round of the Europa League.
The Gunners are on top of the Premier League, and their good form at home has carried over to Europe. Xhaka’s goal in the second half gave them a 1-0 win, making it four wins out of four in Group A.
Next week, Mikel Arteta’s team will have to win in Holland to make sure they win their group and get a bye into the round of 32.
Arsenal hasn’t lost a game in 46 days, which is longer than the time Prime Minister Liz Truss was in office. Xhaka’s goal against PSV made him the first Arsenal player to score at home.
This game suffered a delay because of the death of the Queen. The match between Manchester City and Manchester United, which would have been a match between the two best teams in the Premier League, had to be moved.
Arsenal move to the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League 2022/23
Arsenal want to get back into the Champions League. Their strong start to the Premier League season gives them a good chance of doing so. However, for most of the game, they didn’t have the same ruthlessness in front of the goal that their women’s team showed when they beat reigning champions Lyon 5-1 less than 24 hours earlier.
As Manchester United’s main striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy played against Arsenal when both teams were unbeatable at the top of the Premier League.
He was hired as PSV’s manager in the summer, and his ability to score goals has helped his team score 17 goals in the four games before their trip to the Emirates Stadium.
His missed penalty was the closest Arsenal came to losing during their “Unbeatable” season, and it was van Nistelrooy and United, who were led by van Nistelrooy, who ended that run at 49 games the next year.
Here, though, Arteta’s team was always second best, but the home team couldn’t score in a frustrating first half. Gabriel Jesus shot wide, and Fabio Vieira came close with a free kick. But Bukayo Saka was once again Arteta’s best player.
Saka is so important to Arsenal that he was kept in the starting XI even though he had only missed 179 minutes of football before the game.
After the break, the home team was more dangerous. Saka made Walter Benitez make a smart save. Then Jesus hit a shot that Walter Benitez blocked well.
Saka shined yet again FOR Arsenal!
Eddie Nketiah’s shot went just wide, and with a quarter of the game left, Arteta put on Thomas Partey and captain Martin Odegaard.
But it was their fellow midfielder, Xhaka, whose half-volley from Takehiro Tomiyasu’s cross landed just out of reach of Benitez and into the back of the net.
Xhaka has already scored as many goals this season as he did in the three seasons before. Wearing the captain’s armband, he showed again that Gunners fans, with whom he used to have a tense relationship, now love him.
When Saka received an injury, there was a moment of worry for Arsenal and England. But he kept going as the hosts finished the game to make sure they would be in the next round.
Twitter Reacts:
https://twitter.com/JayLUHG/status/1583169878407929857?s=20&t=hDwTv1sSuRrxzX5x1buZcQ
Who tf is playing an European game today
— Jhu_Nea (@as3m_b3ba_dabi) October 20, 2022
— ICES (@icesE92) October 20, 2022
This team , give us @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/5vV7LFC1Ub
— Beela1🇶🇦🇬🇭 (@Beela1Cudjoe1) October 20, 2022
We not interested in knock out stages, we interested in R16
— FUCK YOU ARTETA 🦍🦍 (@Alex_Pippah) October 20, 2022
Top of the table everywhere. I don't know what it is but something is coming home to the Emirates this season. I can feel it
— WelBeast (@WelBeast) October 20, 2022
I love and rate Gabriel Jesus, but I can’t help but feel we need another striker in addition to what he brings to this team already if we want to compete at the HIGHEST level consistently
— 🫥 Blank (@AidenVTW2) October 20, 2022
Arsenal go into the knockout stages of the Europa League with maximum points. pic.twitter.com/V5zrtDhsoX
— Egal (@EGTVEgal) October 20, 2022
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