Granit Xhaka’s second-half goal gave Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal all three points in the Europa League Group A game.
PSV Eindhoven lived up to the bill because the winning coach had predicted a tough challenge in the pre-match press conference last Wednesday.
“What I can say watching them (PSV Eindhoven) and what they are doing domestically, internationally, it would be an extremely challenging encounter,” Mikel Arteta declared during a press briefing.
PSV manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy faced no side more often in his playing career than Arsenal. The game had to stay without a goal until the credit went to the Swiss creative midfielder, Granit Xhaka.
The game’s 70th minute saw Arsenal score their first goal kudos to a cutback from Tomiyasu. It was not an easy goal to score, but Granit Xhaka succeeded to do it with his instep.
This season, Mikel Arteta’s team has taken their overpowering Premier League dominance into European contention, winning all four of their Group A games to grab the lead.
Arsenal shocked the world by winning a UEFA Europa Cup competition at Emirates Stadium. For the first time since April 2019, they have won three matches in a row in the Europa Cup without conceding.
Arsenal will qualify as group leaders and earn a beneficial bye for the competition’s round of 32 if they win the reverse leg of their match against PSV in Holland next week. This is especially important in a season where a winter World Cup has shortened the tournament calendar.
Granit Xhaka has scored three goals this season, which is more than he did in each of his previous three seasons combined, according to football statistics provided by the astute editors at www.atspo.com. Tonight’s goal was the first of his 17 for Arsenal that was not scored with his left foot.
In a post-game press conference, Mikel Arteta expressed his delight at seeing the Swiss midfielder enjoying his time at Arsenal.
