PSV won its last match before the winter break. Despite a fairly early deficit, the team won relatively easily 4-1 at Philips Stadium.
No Malen
In addition to long-time injured players Maxi Romero and Eran Zahavi, PSV faced another setback before the match against VVV-Venlo. Top scorer Donyell Malen dropped out of the squad before the warm-up and the lack of a real striker in the squad made itself felt on the pitch. Schmidt's team forced the visitors back in the opening stages, but did not create any real danger. VVV attacker Van Crooij did. He set Arias free in front of goal, who surprisingly shot the visitors into a 0-1 lead after 22 minutes of play.
Equalizer Max
PSV did not push immediately after that, but soon came alongside. Noni Madueke - Malen's replacement - was floored in the penalty area by Kum, and the awarded penalty kick was taken by Philipp Max. Mo Ihattaren and Cody Gakpo then had good opportunities to put PSV ahead. The latter's passes did not pan out, while Ihattaren saw his effort cleared off the goal line.
Margin at two within the hour
Thus, PSV sought the locker room with a 1-1 score. Early in the second half, the team took its first lead of the match. From a corner kick by Max, Olivier Boscagli nodded PSV to 2-1 in the 49th minute. Ten minutes later, Gakpo lifted the margin to two. The striker was the terminus of a quick counter and finished expertly: 3-1.
Minibreak
That decided the match. Substitute Adrian Fein scored the 4-1. PSV will have a mini winter break in the coming days. Then the preparation for the game with Ajax on January 10 starts. After the winter break, the team has to make up a margin of three points in the race for the national title, provided the Amsterdammers win.
