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Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has given his verdict on his team’s important 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
THE LOWDOWN: VALUABLE WIN
The Gunners faced PSV in a Group A clash which was originally meant to have taken place five weeks ago but was rescheduled after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II last month. As it turned out, it felt like a potential decider to determine who would finish top of the group.
Arsenal started with purpose but found the visitors difficult to break down. Mikel Arteta had to call upon some of his big stars like Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey off the bench before the job was done courtesy of a Granit Xhaka goal in the 71st minute.
The win handed the Gunners the advantage going into the return fixture in the Netherlands in a few days’ time.
THE LATEST: TIERNEY’S TAKE
Tierney has said that it’s a case of ‘so far, so good’ after playing a huge part in a third consecutive 1-0 win for his side.
Despite Arsenal’s dominance in the game, the Gunners needed a relatively late Xhaka goal to secure the points, but the Scottish defender was satisfied with the team’s effort overall.
He said after the game: “I think we could have had two or three goals and made it a lot more comfortable for us in the last five minutes. But it was a composed performance from us as well. We never panicked when we didn’t score, and we saw it out well and it was comfortable in the end.
“We’d like to score more goals, but if you keep it tight at the back, you know somebody in this team is going to take a chance.
“Two games left, we want to make sure we’re top of the group as well, keep winning games, keep building momentum and so far so good.”
It was a milestone day for the 25-year-old, who made his 100th appearance for the north London club just over three years after his Arsenal debut in September 2019.
Speaking about that feat, Tierney said: “I’m very proud. I never knew going into the game as well, it was after the game a few people told me and I had a few texts so yeah it’s a great achievement, I’m very proud and I’m grateful for the chances I’m getting.
“I’ve been through a lot, the world’s been through a lot since the first one, but it’s good, I’m enjoying it.”
THE VERDICT: GOOD WIN
Arsenal have not been clinical in front of goal in recent games but they have been able to secure the results and keep clean sheets, something for which they struggled a bit when the season started.
At the end of the day, it was a solid win ahead of the trip to Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, by which time the Gunners’ lead at the top could be reduced to a point with Manchester City in action the previous day.
