It was all square at the **Emirates Stadium**as Arsenal and PSV played out a 2-2 in the Round of 16.
Six goals to the good at the midway mark of the tie, Mikel Arteta altered six members of the lineup he picked for the first leg. However, heavy rotation was no obstacle to a swift start for the Gunners. Oleksandr Zinchenko wrapped a strike into the net within the first five minutes of this fixture.
Ivan Perisic pulled back a goal as Guus Til ran off the back of **Jorginho**before setting up the former Tottenham Hotspur wide man to put an effort into the top corner beyond David Raya. But it was the hosts who headed in for half time with the advantage. Raheem Sterling stepped on the gas on the outside and then picked out Declan Rice with a cross into the box for his second assist of the night.
The Dutch side did not want to suffer more shame and levelled the score for a second time. **Jorginho**caved under pressure from Til, and on the breakaway, Couhaib Driouech dinked a chip over Raya.
Five first team regulars entered the fray for **Arsenal**as the team tried to take the lead again and their tally across the two legs into the double digit realm. They would have to be content with a stalemate.
Here are four things we learnt from this clash.
Selection signals squad solutions and struggles
A key question ahead of kick-off was about the use of first team regulars. A spot in the next round was virtually a guarantee for the Gunners, so it was a chance to see new ideas from Arteta for his squad.
Even with a second string starting eleven, the team still set foot into the quarter-final with the same size of lead. The manager might have taken the gamble to go even further with his rotation ahead of the clash with **Chelsea**on the weekend. But that might show where his head is at and who he trusts.
The back four has been the biggest asset at the club in the last twelve months. Arteta not only has a steely central defensive partnership at the core, but he can also mix and match the approach in the other slots. **Jakub Kiwior**covers across the rearguard, joining Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of the defence in this game, while **Ben White**and Myles Lewis-Skelly could readily start most matches.
The story is not the same further afield. **Jorginho**does swap in and out for Thomas Partey, but the athletic attributes of the Italian can create issues in the middle of the park. Declan Rice, a probable part of the **England**squad, remained in midfield and Mikel Merino again acted as a central forward.
Whether it was a reward for the efforts of fringe players or an opportunity to try something new, this could go down as a free hit for minutes Arteta did not wish to use. The choice of certain players for a 'dead rubber' reminds fans of where doubts lie in the squad as the business end of the campaign nears.
Raheem Sterling salvages some pride
Raheem Sterling has become a bit of an eyesore for many fans of the club. His change of pace, smart movement, and dribbling had been a staple of his displays for the last decade on the flanks, but the winger, who will not be in action in the Premier League this weekend against parent club Chelsea, has not proven the Blues wrong with their stance to oust him from the first team squad in the summer.
Last night was a glimpse of those traits. The winger was stationed on the right, where he gained two assists to become the first Englishman to involve himself directly in a **Champions League**goal for four different clubs and also the fourth most productive player for the nation on that stage of all time.
Sterling still suffered some lean luck. In the final moments of injury time, he crashed into a zealous sliding tackle on Johan Bakayoko, picking up a yellow card. That would be the third caution of the **Champions League**campaign for the 30-year-old, who will now miss out on the first leg in April.
However, two steps forward and one back for is a better state of affairs than he has enjoyed for most of the year. After the international break, he will be eager to bring the loan to a satisfactory ending.
Changing of the guard grows clearer with Lewis-Skelly
For both goals, and a close range effort from Isaac Babadi in the second half, it is hard to look past the poor running power of Jorginho. But around him, there were takeaways on a more positive note.
Oleksandr Zinchenko did not replicate the role of Martin Odegaard to a tee. However, the former PSV player pierced the ball into the net with the sort of shot fans would want to see more from the captain. It was another indication he may deserve more minutes as an option in his natural position.
For the final half hour, Arteta altered the arrangement in the midfield. Riccardo Calafiori came in for Rice, and Lewis-Skelly stepped forward into the middle of the park. It was the first time that the 18-year-old had got minutes in the area of the field where he has primarily played in the academy.
The teenager almost immediately made an impact. He was well aware of marauding movement from the new left back and gave him the space to continue breaking forward into the final third for a strike that might have handed the hosts the victory. Another successful sequence of play during the first half to combine with Merino on the left side saw him pop up in the penalty area before he clipped the post.
The profile of a midfielder from fullback once shook up the squad in 2022, and the succession plan is in place. Zinchenko could be out of the exit door, but his ready-made replacement is shining already.
The privilege of pressure is altering Arsenal
This tie took on a unique feeling ahead of the second leg. Seldom do sides that compete in Europe's elite competition enjoy the chance to play with passage into the next round being such a certainty.
Arteta accepted that the first leg blowout had affected the atmosphere in the Emirates Stadium, and the team looked to be lacking legs as the second half wore on. But there is also a tacit admission that the club cannot rest on their laurels despite getting into the next phase of the Champions League.
This is not to diminish the development of the side. The Gunners have gone 15 years without reaching the quarter-final of the competition two years on the trot. But without any realistic chance of a trophy on the home front, the true excitement about the season rests on what may happen on the continent.
This is a place that the team ought to embrace. Arteta asked the fans not to be content with second spot at the end of last season and that is where the team is likely to end up for the third year in a row.
A malaise might descend over the red half of north London if their tie with Real Madrid follows the script. But until that is a matter of fact, Arteta will hope that the lull is merely leaving the home fans to simmer before they play their part in the biggest fixture of Arsenal's season at the start of next month.