Dest was left chasing shadows against Saka as the Gunners recorded a huge 4-0 win in their return to the European competition.
Arsenal got off to a dream start in the Champions League, winning 4-0 at the Emirates to reintroduce themselves to Europe’s top competition. On the other side of that coin, though, was a PSV nightmare as the defense capitulated several times in London on Wednesday evening.
Matched up with Arsenal’s superstar Saka, Dest struggled mightily on the defensive end, as did most of his teammates, in a match that ended as a lopsided result that will do plenty of damage to PSV’s confidence just as this group stage gets started.
It was a disastrous night for PSV, who conceded early and often in the first 45. This one will go down as a defensive disasterclass, with Dest one part of a total mess on that side of the field.
It took just eight minutes for the Gunners to take the lead, with Saka dashing past an oblivious Dest to finish off a rebound from close range.
Arsenal doubled their lead in the 20th minute on a goal from Leandro Trossard, who was set up by Saka on a fantastic counterattack.
Dest was also close by on Arsenal’s third, as he was unable to close down Gabriel Jesus’ finish in the 38th minute.
Martin Odegaard added a fourth and final goal in the 70th minute, firing a missile from outside the box to seal a lopsided win for the hosts.
It was a rough night for Dest, whose faults were on full display.
Starting slightly out of position on the left and going against Saka, Dest’s defensive ability was always going to be tested and, on this day, he failed massively. Arsenal had a field day down that left-hand side, with Saka involved in two of the three goals while Jesus’ finish came on that post.
On the ball, Dest was solid as usual, completing nearly 90 percent of his passes while having some good moments going forward, but it’s impossible to overlook such a rough defensive display from a player that has certainly had a few of them throughout his career.
As for the other two USMNT stars, Malik Tillman’s introduction will be a nice show of faith for a rising star, but nothing more as the game was long over. Ricardo Pepi, meanwhile.
It will be a missed opportunity for Dest, for sure, as this was the type of game where he could have proved himself as an improved defender.
The World Cup showed that, on his day, Dest can truly handle himself in that end of the field. The issue remains consistency. As a defender, you can’t afford to have many off days, and this certainly was one of those for the on-loan Barcelona man.
His defending is the one thing that is truly holding Dest back and, at 22, it’s unfair to call him a finished product. However, his defensive lapses, the moments where he just seems to turn off, can’t keep popping up, especially in big games like this.
Dest’s USMNT spot is relatively secure but, with the Copa America looming, could the U.S. look towards a more capable defender like Joe Scally? We’ll see.
Goal
