The Gunners missed a chance to win Group A in the Europa League as they were beaten 2-0 in Eindhoven.
Arsenal suffered only their second defeat of the season on Thursday night as they were beaten 2-0 at PSV in the Europa League.
The Gunners went into the game knowing they only needed a point to guarantee themselves passage through to the knockout stages as group winners and Mikel Arteta named a strong starting XI that included the likes of William Saliba, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard.
But Arteta's side were comprehensively outplayed by their Dutch hosts, who had two goals ruled out for offside during the first half.
But Arsenal were not so lucky after the interval, with the half-time introduction of Luuk de Jong proving to be a masterstroke by PSV boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The 32-year-old striker set up the first goal, which was wonderfully finished by Joey Veerman, and then he scored the second himself – heading home from a corner after a horrible error by Aaron Ramsdale.
The defeat means Arsenal now have to beat FC Zurich next Thursday night at Emirates Stadium to secure top spot in Group A, although a point will be enough if PSV fail to win at Bodo/Glimt.
The Winners
Winner: Takehiro Tomiyasu
This was another impressive individual performance from Tomiyasu.
He kept Cody Gakpo quiet in London last week, but this was always going to be a tougher proposition for Tomiyasu against the PSV danger man.
The Japan international was strong once again, even though Gakpo had a much more lively evening than he did at Emirates Stadium.
Winner: Ruud van Nistelrooy
This was a good night for the PSV boss.
He would have been disappointed with his side's performance in London and would have been hoping for a much stronger display this time around.
And he got exactly that, with PSV full value for their victory.
Van Nistelrooy's decision to bring on Luuk de Jong at half-time proved to be an inspired one, with the 32-year-old turning the game and causing Arsenal all sorts of problems.
AdvertisementThe Losers
Loser: Mikel Arteta
The Arsenal boss named a stronger team than he would have wanted against PSV, in a bid to get the result he needed to guarantee themselves top spot in Group A.
But his team selection didn't pay off, with his side struggling to get any sort of rhythm.
The defeat means that there is still work to do for Arsenal next week when they host FC Zurich in their final game of the group stage.
That will mean Arteta will once again have name a strong side next Thursday night, which is far from ideal considering the Gunners visit Chelsea on the Sunday in the Premier League.
Loser: Gabriel Martinelli
He's not had many of them this season, but this was a real off night for the Brazilian.
Whether it was the tricky playing surface was unclear, but Martinelli just seemed to struggle with the basics all evening.
His touch was off, as was his passing. In fact, he lost possession 18 times during the 90 minutes, seven more than any other Arsenal player.
He had one big opportunity on the volley towards the end of the first half which he blazed over. It was the type of errant finish that summed up his night.
Loser: Rob Holding
Holding had enjoyed a decent group stage campaign up to this point, but he had no answer to the half-time arrival of De Jong.
The Arsenal centre-back was given a torrid time by the 32-year-old striker and was rolled far too easily for the opening goal.
Mikel Arteta hooked Holding soon after, replacing him with Gabriel Jesus as he opted to change his system.
It felt like the decision was also to protect Holding a bit, who seemed to have little answer to the physicality of de Jong.
Arsenal Ratings: Defence
Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):
Made some good stops, but had a horror moment for the second goal.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (7/10):
Probably Arsenal's stand out player, not that there was much competition.
William Saliba (5/10):
Seemed to struggle a bit all evening. Not his calm self.
Rob Holding (5/10):
Really struggled with De Jong after the interval.
Kieran Tierney (6/10):
Looked good in the first half, but couldn't maintain that level.
Midfield
Sambi Lokonga (5/10):
Never made an impact.
Granit Xhaka (6/10):
Not his usual self. Booked and will miss the Zurich game.
Martin Odegaard (5/10):
Sloppy throughout. Wasn't an influence.
