CHAMPIONS LEAGUE/Group E: The survival instinct mattered more than intuitive flair. Arsenal eked out a draw here despite the second yellow cards that had Lauren and their captain Patrick Vieira sent off in the second half.
Almost immediately, Robin van Persie suffered what appears a very bad leg injury.
But they will join PSV Eindhoven in the knock-out phase so long as they beat Rosenborg at Highbury. Resilience was everything, with Arsenal tormented by recurring weaknesses.
Phillip Cocu may have been scathing but there was no slur in his pre-match comments about Arsenal. The PSV veteran had noted that the Premiership team have recently been making "rookie mistakes in their marking". It took only eight minutes for the visitors to provide full corroboration by conceding a goal to Andre Ooijer from a corner.
Arsene Wenger argues that Arsenal will only thrive again once they recover their carefree, creative style. People, however, cannot be ordered to relax. They cannot be at ease until everything around them is where it should be and, for the time being, the back four happens to be all over the place.
Arsenal's smoothness in attack somehow has to be maintained even when the mistakes elsewhere are an unnerving distraction. Thierry Henry, who had levelled the score by half-time, is particularly required to reiterate his worth. The ludicrous allegation that he is always stifled when Arsenal are under suffocating pressure was again disproved.
He was bullish, for instance, in harassing Wilfred Bouma as the centre-back tried to let the ball run out for a goal-kick after 22 minutes. Henry robbed him, cut inside and struck the side-netting when seeking to sneak a shot beyond Heurelho Gomes at the near post.
It had also been the France striker, who, stretching, had forced a Jose Antonio Reyes cross wide in the fifth minute. Under present circumstances, though, Henry can never be left in peace to find his range. Arsenal were behind three minutes later. PSV earned the corner when a drive by the troublesome Jefferson Farfan was deflected behind.
Sol Campbell was rushed back into service here after his Achilles injury, but not even the England defender can indemnify Arsenal against errors at set-pieces. Van Bommel's inswinging corner was headed into the net from four yards by Ooijer, with no one to mark him and insufficient pressure from the goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Wenger had predicted a defensive approach from PSV but there was much to confound even the shrewd manager and Arsenal did not recover their composure for a while. Their equaliser, however, was exquisite and explained why so many people think of the Highbury club as potential winners of the Champions League despite the moderate results.
Kolo Toure fed Henry on the right after 31 minutes. He seemed to stumble for an instant but then drove inside, holding off Bouma as he made for the penalty area. The forward laid the ball into the path of Freddie Ljungerg, whose diagonal run dragged the other centre-half Alex out of position, and a backheel by the Swede let Henry finish with a low shot past Gomes's right hand.
Guus Hiddink's side had not conceded a goal here this season, but they could scarcely be blamed against a build-up of that quality.
Arsenal were under pressure as the second-half developed and increasingly dependent on counter-attacks against opponents who seemed to feel authority seeping back. Reyes was one of the beneficiaries, stepping neatly inside Johann Vogel for an effort beaten away by Gomes.
PSV, bound for the Dutch title this season, are full of conviction. Van Bommel, who talks of moving to Spurs, stormed past Ashley Cole in the 62nd minute for a drive that Lehmann clawed behind at his near post.
Three minutes later, Lauren was sent off after receiving his second caution of the night. A misjudged challenge caught Lee Young-Pyo at waist height and the referee Herbert Fandel reached for his red card.
Arsenal were not cowed then and Henry soon had Gomes tipping an attempt wide, but the introduction of Justin Hoyte for Robert Pires also showed Wenger preparing if need be to try to cling on for a draw.
PSV: Gomes, Ooijer, Alex, Bouma, Lee, Van Bommel, Vogel (Beasley 65), Cocu, Park, Farfan, Sibon. Subs not used: Zoetebier, Vonlanthen, Lucius, Addo, Feher. Booked: Ooijer. Goal: Ooijer 8.
ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Fabregas, Vieira, Pires (Hoyte 69), Reyes (Van Persie 63), Henry, Van Persie (Flamini 81). Subs not used: Almunia, Cygan, Senderos, Pennant. Sent off: Lauren (65), Vieira (78). Booked: Vieira, Lauren, Ljungberg. Goals: Henry 31.
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany).
