A 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven brought Arsenal's Champions League group campaign to a close on Tuesday.
The Gunners had already secured first place heading into the game, and so with nothing on the line, Mikel Arteta went for a mixed lineup that included his first-choice centre-backs, fringe first-teamers and not a single academy talent, and fans were less than impressed.
Those who declined to watch may have felt justified early on as PSV were on top for the majority of the first half.
Arsenal did, however, grow into the game and even took the lead heading into the break as Eddie Nketiah's low drive proved too accurate for Walter Benitez in the PSV net.
PSV needed just five second-half minutes to do what they failed to accomplish in the first as they cut right through the heart of Arsenal's lineup and tied things up through Yorbe Vertessen.
While Arsenal were definitely in a battle, fans were never concerned as the result of this game meant nothing. They had topped spot wrapped up and were instead hoping to celebrate some meaningful minutes for the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Reuell Walters.
Instead, supporters watched on as Arteta brought Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Ben White off the bench, risking the fitness of three key starters in pursuit of an utterly meaningless victory.
Rice, White & Ødegaard? Yeah these youngsters are getting no minutes
— cmbftbl (@cmbftbl) December 12, 2023
Ultimately, it all meant very little for Arsenal, who were relatively comfortable as they saw out a draw to bring their group stage to a close.
