PSV out after failing to beat 10-man Arsenal

PSV Eindhoven missed a place in the UEFA Cup after their lacklustre 0-0 draw at Arsenal combined with Auxerre's win over Borussia Dortmund denied the Dutch club third place in their Champions League first phase group on Tuesday.

Arsenal were already assured qualification for the Champions League second stage but, with Group A rivals Auxerre enjoying a dramatic 1-0 home victory, PSV suffered a disappointing exit from this season's European competition.

Guus Hiddink's side hit the crossbar in a late rally but they failed to capitalise on the first-half dismissal of Arsenal's Kolo Toure at Highbury as the English double winners were rewarded with first place in the section after Dortmund's surprise defeat.

Arsenal finish top with 10 points, ahead of Dortmund on their better head-to-head results with the Bundesliga club. Auxerre are third with seven points and PSV bottom on six.

Given the largely meaningless nature of this contest, it was no surprise there were none of the early fireworks that illuminated Arsenal's 4-0 win in Eindhoven in September, when Brazilian Gilberto scored the fastest goal in Champions League history after 20 seconds.

Most Arsenal eyes were on Rami Shaaban, the Swedish goalkeeper making not only his debut for the club but also his bid to become the long-term successor to 39-year-old David Seaman, who was missing with a groin strain.

Shaaban can hardly have expected to have made his first Arsenal save from one of his own players but after five minutes he was forced to block a miscued clearance from Patrick Vieira.

Striker Francis Jeffers, given a rare start as manager Arsene Wenger rested several key players, wasted the first conventional chance moments later but the game suffered from the lack of a competitive edge.

Toure, therefore, must have thought he was in another match. After an early booking for a professional foul on Dennis Rommedahl, the promising 21-year-old committed another rash challenge on the Denmark international and Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo brandished first yellow and then red.

With PSV's Johann Vogel also cautioned and struggling to keep tabs on Robert Pires legally, Hiddink substituted Vogel after 42 minutes before Ovrebo had an opportunity to even up the numbers.

The visitors should have made the one-man advantage tell nine minutes after halftime but after Mark van Bommel cleverly played in Mateja Kezman, the Yugoslav striker had his shot well saved by Shaaban.

PSV had little to offer thereafter, despite news of Auxerre's goal -- relayed to the players -- producing a few desperate flurries.

With goalkeeper Ronald Wattereus up for a corner in the dying seconds, opposite number Shaaban could only punch his attempted clearance on to the top of Arsenal's crossbar but the home side scrambled the ball away.

The issue could have been beyond doubt at that stage, however, if Arsenal substitute Sylvain Wiltord had snapped up the two chances that fell to him in the final quarter of an hour.