Arsenal will play holders Real Madrid in the quarter-final of the Champions League, after a 2-2 draw with PSV on Wednesday night confirmed their progression.
Mikel Arteta’s heavily rotated side only needed to avoid catastrophe at the Emirates Stadium, having won 7-1 in Eindhoven last week, and did so with goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice.
Zinchenko, one of four left-backs selected in the starting lineup, opened the scoring in spectacular fashion, cutting inside and curling into the far corner to give Arsenal the lead in just six minutes.
PSV were determined not to be on the end of another thrashing at the hands of the North London club though, and levelled the scoring through Ivan Perisic shortly after.
It was a rare start for the out-of-form Raheem Sterling, but the winger took his opportunity, beating two players down the right flank before delivering a perfect cross for Rice to nod home just before the break.
With any remaining pressure well and truly off, Arsenal slowed, and PSV managed to restore some pride in the 70th minute when Couhaib Driouech found space in behind and delivered a dainty chip over the onrushing David Raya.
The Gunners will play 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid over two legs in April, with the first taking place in London.
Here are our player ratings from a successful night for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya – 6
Although there was nothing the Spaniard could’ve done about either goal, Raya was required to prevent further concessions.
He made two brilliant saves, first tipping Driouech’s curling effort around the post before doing the same when Isaac Babadi went close.
Ben White – 5
A solid 80 minutes in the legs of White, as he continues to step up his return from injury.
Jakub Kiwior – 4
Given that Kiwior has not played any football at all since January, it was to be expected he would be a little rusty.
The defender was dragged out of position in the build-up to the first goal, leaving Gabriel exposed, and was left chasing the play too many times.
Gabriel Magalhães – 6
A solid performance from Gabriel has now become the standard for Arsenal’s standout defender this season.
He made a typically impressive sliding tackle to deny Driouech in the first half, celebrating it in his usual fashion.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7
Friday marks the announcement of **Thomas Tuchel**’s first England squad, and Wednesday night’s performance will not have done Lewis-Skelly’s chances any harm.
The 18-year-old was assured and went close to scoring his second-ever Arsenal goal when he showed great initiative to get on the end of a seemingly dead ball, but he was denied by the post.
He moved further into midfield late in the game and combined well with Riccardo Calafiori to create a goalscoring chance, but the Italian could not find the finish.
Jorginho – 4
Jorginho has not had many poor games in an Arsenal shirt, but against PSV, his age looked to have slightly caught up with him.
The nimble midfielders of PSV were too quick for the Italian, catching him off guard on multiple occasions to sneak into dangerous areas and drive at the Arsenal backline.
Declan Rice – 7
Two goals in as many games for Rice, the midfielder meeting Sterling’s cross to head in before electing to mock the so-called ‘celebration police’, who had criticised him for his celebration against Manchester United.
A second-half booking saw Rice taken off after 64 minutes, with any risks over the Englishman’s involvement against Real Madrid crucial to avoid.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 8
Wednesday night marked the first time Zinchenko had started in midfield for Arsenal, and the Ukrainian’s performance made it rather unclear why.
The finish for his goal was deadly, and he should’ve had an assist when he played Sterling through on goal before half-time.
For the time Zinchenko has remaining at the club, with rumours about his future circling, he presents a promising option in midfield for Arsenal and may well be utilised there further before the season ends.
Raheem Sterling – 9
Arteta’s feelings on Sterling were made clear when he decided against bringing the winger off the bench against Manchester United, electing instead to introduce left-back Kieran Tierney.
Nonetheless, Sterling was given the start against PSV and may have sown some doubts in his manager’s mind over that decision.
From the get-go, Sterling was energetic with the ball, and picked up an assist by winning the ball and finding Zinchenko with a clever pass.
It was his assist for Rice’s goal which stood out, however.
In a flash, Sterling looked to once again be the player who exploded at **Liverpool**and Manchester City, beating two players with great pace before delivering a perfect cross.
He should’ve added a goal but was denied after a great run in behind.
There is still time for Sterling at Arsenal, but he must produce this performance on a more regular basis.
Kieran Tierney – 5
Understandably, Tierney looked unaccustomed to the left-wing, and could not make a clear impact.
Mikel Merino – 5
Merino won his duels, but could not replicate his performance in Eindhoven.
Riccardo Calafiori – 7
The Italian has demonstrated a knack for the attacking side of the game in recent weeks, and did again, executing a sumptuous flick to Lewis-Skelly before his shot was parried by Walter Benitez.
Leandro Trossard – 5
Trossard was unable to make a mark on the game in the latter stages.
Jurrien Timber – 5
Timber arrived on the pitch in a flurry, dribbling past two players immediately before settling down to see the game out.
Martin Odegaard – 5
The captain created a chance in his time on the pitch but did not make much of an impact elsewhere.
Gabriel Martinelli – 5
Valuable minutes in the legs for Martinelli, who is just returning from injury.