Premier League leaders Arsenal suffered their second defeat of the season as they lost 2-0 to Manchester United legend’s PSV Eindhoven. The first loss was against Manchester United in the English Premier League and the second is the loss against the PSV now.
The Gunners only needed a point in the Netherlands to advance to the last 16 next March. But Joey Veerman’s first-time finish from 16 yards and a header by substitute Luuk de Jong after a mistake by the Gunners keeper Aaron Ramsdale on his European debut saw them drop three points.
The loss was their first loss in this year’s Europa League, after the game, Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta said: “I’m very disappointed.” He also said: “We were nowhere near our level and we know that in Europe it’s very difficult to win. I saw a number of the boys running out of energy because we had to chase the ball so much.” “It’s the end of a long run where we won a lot of games and we have to reset.”
PSV, managed by Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, also had three goals ruled out for offside as Arsenal were well beaten. The Gunners need to beat Zurich in their final group game next Thursday at Emirates Stadium (20:00 GMT) to guarantee a place in the last 16.
If they fail to win and PSV beat Bodo/Glimt in Norway, Arsenal will face two extra games in the knockout round playoffs, which will also include teams who finished third in their Champions League groups.