PSV Eindhoven cruised past Groningen with a 5-1 victory at the Philips Stadion. The match belonged to the Eredivisie's third round and ended with the hosts comfortably ahead after a frenetic first half.
Brunhulfur Willumsson opened the scoring in the 9th minute before a Groningen own goal by T. Blokzijl doubled the advantage two minutes later. Ivan Perisic added a third on 35 minutes, and a penalty spot incident in stoppage time changed everything. Guus Til won the penalty after a VAR review and Ricardo Pepi converted twice to give PSV a four-goal lead before the break.
By then the visitors had little to offer. Groningen saw the game out without a response, though their goalkeeper made seven saves to keep the scoreline respectable. S. Dest pulled one back for PSV in the 56th minute before the match settled into a comfortable rhythm for the hosts.
The statistics told the story. PSV held 62 percent possession and created nine big chances compared to four for their opponents. Their expected goals figure of 4.42 contrasted sharply with Groningen's 1.09, and the hosts registered 12 shots on target against just four for the visitors.
Both sides made their changes as the game unfolded. Groningen brought on J. Schreuders in the 46th minute, while PSV rotated several players including Willumsson and Perisic. Neither manager had much to worry about in terms of results.
The result leaves PSV second in the table with 10 points from four games, while Groningen sit 10th on six points. The hosts have yet to drop a point at home this season and are closing in on a perfect start.
