Europa League: Mikel Arteta calls for a "reset" at Arsenal after losing against PSV Eindhoven
They had won eight of the last nine games that Mikel Arteta's team had played. Before the match, they were on an extraordinary run, having won eight of the previous nine games
Arsenal : On Reset ModeThe Gunners needed only one point in the Netherlands to advance to the round of 16 in March. However, they were no match for Ruud van Nistelrooy's team, who cruised to victory thanks to second-half goals from Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong, a former Newcastle striker.
Joey Veerman's first-time finish from 16 yards and substitute Luuk de Jong's header - following a mistake by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on his European debut - resulted in Arsenal's first loss in Europe this season.
The Eredivisie team excelled in front of their home fans and capitalised on Arsenal's poor play to advance to the knockout round.
Joey Veerman opened the score in the 55th minute with a well-placed shot that beat Aaron Ramsdale. PSV had three goals disallowed due to offside decisions in the first half.
Luuk de Jong's substitution at halftime swung the match decisively in PSV's favour, and he scored their second goal in the 63rd minute when he beat Aaron Ramsdale to a corner kick to put PSV up 2-0.
Arsenal emptied their bench and substituted many of their regular starters, but PSV's intensity remained unwavering as they scored an incredible victory.
Mikel Arteta makes a big statement after a shocking defeat
After witnessing his team lose 2-0 in Eindhoven, Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal must rebound soon, as they have two home games in the coming week.
In the post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta said, "I'm very disappointed. It's the end of a long run, where we won many games and today is our first defeat, and we hav to reset."
He also spoke about PSV, "Congratulations to PSV - they were the better team today. We were nowhere near our level, and we know that it's very difficult to win in Europe."
"We didn't get any control. We didn't get the ball in the areas we wanted. We gave so many balls away, which allowed so many transitions, which was what they were looking for whenever they got in the right structure. They were on top of a lot of things that last week was different."
Mikel Arteta also emphasised the significance of topping the group before the match, with the winners advancing directly to the round of 16 and avoiding a playoff game against the best third-place teams from the Champions League - Barcelona and six-time Europa League champions Sevilla are already in the draw.
The race for Group A's top spot between Arsenal and PSV will now come down to the final group matches on Thursday at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal maintains a two-point lead over second-placed Zurich, whom they defeated 2-1 in Switzerland on 8 September, but will need a decisive victory to secure a spot in the round of 16.
Suppose Arsenal fails to win, and PSV defeats Bodo/Glimt in Norway. In that case, they will be forced to play two other games in the knockout round playoffs, including teams that placed third in their respective Champions League groups, such as Barcelona.