A different Alex has last word to upset Wenger

Champions League Arsenal 1 PSV Eindhoven 1  PSV Eindhoven win 2-1 on aggregateA fragmented performance left Arsenal's season in smithereens.

Last year's finalists were knocked out by this draw and were already out of contention in all other tournaments. Rodrigo Alex, the PSV Eindhoven defender who is alleged to be in effect owned by Chelsea, dictated the rise and fall of Arsenal's hopes.

His own-goal early in the second half put the Dutch club 1-0 down to balance the aggregate score at 1-1, but he tipped the contest decisively in favour of Ronald Koeman's team by climbing to head home Edison Mendez's free-kick in the 83rd minute.

Arsenal had never been able to maintain momentum and this always promised to be the sort of taxing game that makes people act with care.

There could have been no greater symbol of Arsenal's commitment to patience than the sight of Thierry Henry among the substitutes. With his concern for the captain's back problem, manager Arsene Wenger showed that he saw no need for desperate remedies.

Considering all the accolades for sides lacking Henry, whether in the English League Cup run or the 6-2 Premiership defeat of Blackburn Rovers, there was some logic to the decision.

The group phase, including matches with Liverpool, had shown Ronald Koeman's squad to be moderate, but the pressure from Arsenal was neither sustained nor fluently applied before the interval.

All the attention on Henry's situation meant that an array of other injuries to Wenger's men was barely noticed. The effects, though, were there to be seen.

Wenger, for instance, again had the holding midfielder and acting captain Gilberto Silva at centre-half, while Kolo Toure was switched to right-back.

The latter has the sort of rollicking attitude well adapted to overlapping runs. Toure went haring past Arouna Kone and deep into the penalty area after eight minutes but mishit his shot from a tight angle.

The Ivorian Kone, despite his deep positioning in that episode, is actually a forward, but his involvement was to be limited after Cesc Fabregas slid in and caught his standing leg. His thigh was strapped up for a while and eventually he had to be replaced.

PSV, without being unduly ambitious, did have an outstanding opportunity. After 33 minutes Mendez crossed from the right and veteran captain Phillip Cocu put a header wide from eight yards.

There was more anxiety on the brink of half-time as Gilberto tarried on the ball inside the area before he and Jefferson Farfan ended up on the ground in an incident that the referee, probably with justice, viewed as a collision.

By degrees Arsenal had imposed themselves. Emmanuel Adebayor usually makes his presence felt and was near to scoring after a Fabregas pass. Switching roles, he then set up the Spaniard for an effort that was blocked before Julio Baptista put the loose ball wide after 27 minutes. The Brazilian was as dramatic and erratic as ever. A few minds would have been turning to Henry once more.

There was no mystery about Arsenal's inability to impersonate the former selves who had come so close to winning this tournament a year ago.

Here is a squad in need of the fillip that came their way in the 57th minute.

Denilson's corner from the right was missed entirely by the much-admired goalkeeper Gomes and the ball then dipped to ricochet off the leg of Alex and into the net for an own-goal.

That had an inevitably invigorating effect on Arsenal, and Adebayor got through a shaken PSV defence minutes later, only to see his finish blocked by Gomes.

By the time Henry was introduced in place of Baptista, after 66 minutes, the visitors had started to recover. Mendez had fired off-target from a Csaba Feher cross and, just before Henry took the field, PSV had a strong appeal for a penalty rejected when it appeared that Farfan had been blocked by Denilson.

The match entered a quieter phase, as if the players had become all too aware that the outcome hung in the balance.

Arsenal's advantage was mainly territorial and Adebayor frequently appeared to be the single figure whom PSV could not deal with confidently.

Wenger's novel decision to have his side practise free-kicks was judicious in the circumstances and one Henry set-piece inspired mayhem. Another from the Frenchman induced a save from Gomes.

Guardian Service

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Toure, Silva, Gallas, Clichy (Walcott 85), Ljungberg (Diaby 75), Fabregas, Denilson, Hleb, Julio Baptista (Henry 66), Adebayor. Subs not used: Almunia, Djourou, Aliadiere, Traore. Booked: Fabregas.

PSV EINDHOVEN: Gomes, Salcido, Alex, Feher, Sun, Culina, Mendez (Vayrynen 90), Simons, Farfan (Addo 89), Cocu, Kone (Afellay 41). Subs not used: Moens, Tardelli, Marcellis. Booked: Feher.

Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg).