For those in search of omens there is Munich. The German city has become something of a recurring theme for Arsenal in the Champions League – although rarely it must be mentioned with a positive outcome.
Mikel Arteta’s European campaign ended there in the quarter finals, last season, when they beaten by Bayern just as they had been on their previous foray in the competition, the 10-goal shellacking in the last-16 2016-17.
If they are to make it to Munich this season, they will be in the Champions League final on the last day of May. And perhaps that would be an acceptable consolation for losing touch with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
Big if though. There’s still plenty to do. There’s a date in Madrid next, but a night when progress was never in doubt after scoring going 7-1 up at PSV allowed minds to wander.
Arsenal plundered seven goals of eight shots on target in Eindhoven and continued in the same vein when Oleksandr Zinchenko found the net with the first effort of the second leg, a goal fizzed past goalkeeper Walter Benitez from 25 yards.
Zinchenko, who played a dozen games for PSV on loan from Manchester City, made a big deal about not celebrating his first Arsenal goal for nearly 500 days, although those in the away end hardly seemed to notice.
Declan Rice scored his second goal in a week to put Arsenal ahead just before the break
Oleksandr Zinchenko opened the scoring after only six minutes against the side he represented during the 2016-17 season
Former Tottenham winger Ivan Perisic equalised for the visitors, who were determined to exit the competition on a high
They were too busy making sure they had a good time, having been reimbursed their ticket money by the Dutch champions way of apology for the first-leg thrashing.
Trailing 8-1 on aggregate, there were ironic cheers when Johan Bakayoko whistled a shot over but they did stop to celebrate when Ivan Perisic found the top corner, a deft finish by the 36-year-old former Tottenham winger, playing as a centre forward.
Perisic sprinted to retrieve the ball as if there was a way back into the tie. Then Couhaib Driouech drew a fine save from David Raya, which served to enhance what was a very surreal atmosphere inside the Emirates.
There were plenty of empty seats, especially in the upper tier with lots of Arsenal supporters clearly opting for a partial refund via the club’s ticket exchange amid ongoing discontent over tickets prices.
So, the emphatic nature of the victory in Eindhoven has probably ended up costing the club revenue in the form of ticket sales.
Arteta to his credit sent out an experienced team, with a first start since injury for Ben White, and a mentality to go for more goals.
Myles Lewis-Skelly hit a post before Declan Rice scored their second on the night, a header from a cross by Raheem Sterling, after he skipped past two defenders on the right wing.
Sterling, without a goal since a Carabao Cup tie against Bolton in September, was clean through on goal before half time, released by Zinchenko but could not find a way to beat keeper Benitez.
Couhaib Driouech levelled for the second time on the night, with a delectable chip past David Raya
Mikel Arteta’s side progressed into the quarter-final of the Champions League where they will face Real or Atletico Madrid
There was another chance near the end, deflected wide and his night finished with a wild tackle which earned him a yellow card which will rule him out of the first leg of the quarter final.
PSV enjoyed a spell on top at the start of the second half, denied by Raya saves and careless finishing before Driouech levelled for the second time on the night, with a delectable chip, the goal of the night.
Arteta had become briefly engaged in a personal challenge to squeeze as many left-backs onto the pitch as possible. Having started with four – Zinchencko, Lewis-Skelly, Jakub Kiwior and Kieran Tierney – he sent on Riccardo Calafiori, as well.
Calafiori came on and played at left and almost scored, forcing Benitez into another save, before the Arsenal boss ran through the changes, his mind perhaps drifting to Chelsea on Sunday and not Munich in May.
