Weekend in Review

NOTE: For report/analysis on Saturday's FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City, please see previous post

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

HIGHLIGHTS

53'- Messi
82'- Ronaldo

With four Superclasico's in 18 days upcoming, football fans across the world are salivating. Real Madrid and Barcelona didn't disappoint in the first edition, battling to a 1-1 draw in La Liga that featured the usual great play from both sides, and more than a shred of controversy.

In the end, it was two points lost for Los Galacticos, whose most likely trophy pushes now rest in the Copa del Rey (final against Barca on Wednesday), and Champions League (semifinal against Barca begins next week), as they now trail the Catalan Giants by eight points with six matches to play.

The wound from November's 5-0 dismantling against Barca was fresh in the minds of Jose Mourinho's side, who turned in a performance far better than those disastrous 90 minutes at the Camp Nou.

The home side came out with a humble set up, realizing that even for a side of their quality, a defensive outlook was required to get the results against the best attacking team in the world.

The first half took on the outlook of one of Spain's matchups from the World Cup, as Barca patiently knocked the ball around and waited for the chances to arise. But in the end, Pep Guardiola and company knew that the openings would come, not only because of their quality but also since Real needed full points to retain any hope of winning La Liga.

There were still plenty of chances. Cristiano Ronaldo should have done better midway through the half when he received the ball with space inside the area, but his first touch was surprinsingly heavy, and Gerard Pique ended up blocking his attempt.

Referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez was the center of attention in the 26th minute, when he booked David Villa for a dive after the striker went down in the box from a collision with Iker Casillas. The call was not his best, as there was clear contact between the two, meaning at the very least Villa was not guilty of simulation.

Barca began to look lively as the half continued. They nearly created the opener in the 42nd when some vintage combination play between Lionel Messi, Iniesta, and David Villa, saw Messi into space in the box, but Casillas did well to push away his strike from an acute angle.

Real capped off the wild close to the half in the final seconds when Sergio Ramos rose gracefully and flicked to the far post for Ronaldo, who saw his powerful header cleared off the line in magnificent fashion by Adriano.

Only minutes into the second half, the match was turned on it's head.

Ronaldo came inches from netting the opener in the 48th, winning a free kick from 23-yards. His driven shot surprised Victor Valdes, but the Portuguese was left to curse his luck when it clanked off the post.

Just seconds later, Barca had the lead. A long ball into the box from Adriano asked questions of Xabi Alonso, who took a bad angle and allowed David Villa to get position, before recklessly fouling him for a penalty and unavoidable red card. Messi was cool from the spot, and Barcelona were up 1-0 just moments after their opponents had come so close to doing the same.

Real were down a man, and on the back foot as Barcelona went for the jugular.

In the 62nd, Xavi Hernandez was unlucky to hit the post after successfully chipping Casillas from just outside the area.

Madrid fought on, and Pepe should have equalized in the 65th. Sergio Ramos once again brilliantly won with his head from a corner and flicked to the far post for the center-half, but he couldn't get a solid boot on his volley attempt, and then headed a second bite of the cherry into the side-netting.

Barcelona had nearly all of the possession, and Real were beginning to look resigned to their fate. But to their credit, they defended well and kept the result within reach.

In the 81st, Madrid were rewarded for their defensive efforts with a goal of their own. Substitute Mezut Ozil did well to play Marcelo in down the left side of the box, and Dani Alves made contact with him as he lunged for the ball, resulting in Fernández pointing to the spot. The Barca players were incensed at the call, accosting the referee in numbers, and Marcelo had indeed go down easily, although Real would argue there was clearly contact on the play. Ronaldo was reliable from the spot to equalize.

Villa then spured two chances for Barca, both times receiving an aerial pass behind the defense before losing the one-on-one matchup with Casillas.

Sami Khedira came close after Emmanuel Adebayor countered up the left touch line, but Casillas held his low and powerful effort.

Unfortunate Arsenal

If Manchester United win the Premier League this season (all signs points to yes) after Arsenal's incredible 1-1 draw with Liverpool, the Gunners will only have themselves to blame. They've lost home matches to West Brom and Newcastle, drew 0-0 with lowly Blackburn at The Emirates two weeks ago, and also saw a 2-0 home lead on Tottenham turn into a 3-2 defeat. Once again, the consistency has not been there.

But those inexcusable results don't tell the whole story. The Gunners have controversially dropped points in five different matches this season thanks to poor officiating. That was the case in yesterday's draw with 'Pool, who gained an extremely soft penalty on the last kick of the ball to equalize.

In all honesty, a draw would have been a fair result, as both sides created a similar amount of chances in the final 45 minutes after Arsenal had dominated the opening half. But to make a call like that (START VIDEO at 11:00) must be tough to swallow for Arsene Wenger and company.

The decision may well have finished off the Gunners' title challenge, as they now sit six points off the pace with just six matches to go.

Granted, Eboue has no business making any contact with Lucas on the play, as the Brazilian was surely going to topple over after feeling any type of contact, but that type of call is a classic example of an official trying to even things out, as Liverpool players were very unhappy with the previous penalty given to Arsenal (correctly given) earlier in stoppage time.

Unfortunately, the Liverpool scenario is not an isolated incident, as the Gunners have been victimized by a plethora of poor refereeing decisions this season.

I try not to let my Arsenal bias sway my thoughts in this blog or in my analysis of the game, and I know that the claims I'm making here will cause many to think that my status as a Gooner is clouding my view. You can call it more Arsenal "whining" if you like, but PLEASE watch these videos, evaluate the situations and scenarios in which the bad calls occurred, and then try to tell me that officiating didn't have a significant effect on the title race this season. I don't want to hear any arguments if you haven't at least observed the evidence first.

Example #1: Arsenal travelled to the Stadium of Light early in the year looking to show their newfound confidence via a tough road win. They scored a lucky opener when Cesc Fabregas blocked a clearance and the ball sailed over the keeper's head and into the net.

Arsenal did well to dominate the second half, but as they often do, failed to ice the game to leave the result in doubt.

It appeared the Gunners were headed for a fantastic result when the fourth official signaled for four minutes of injury time. But in the final seconds of extra time, Steve Bruce's side won a corner kick, which surely represented the last kick of the ball. The Gunners did well to clear the attempt, but referee Phil Dowd didn't blow the final whistle, allowing another attempt into the box that Darren Bent slotted home.

Decide for yourself

Example #2: Fresh off the heels of a fine 3-0 win over Chelsea, Arsenal were looking to jump start their race for the title over the Christmas period.

They were the favorites when they visited the DW Stadium to face bottom feeders Wigan. But the home side were all over them in the opening moments, and scored their first goal from the spot. Arsenal fought back, getting goals from Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner before halftime to take the lead.

The Gunners cruised through the second half, and looked ready for the three points after Charles N'Zogbia was sent off. But in classic Gunner fashion, they yielded a goal from a set piece, as Sebastien Squllaci headed into his own net under pressure.

However, Arsenal should have won a penalty late in the match, when a free kick from Fabregas struck the arm of a flailing Wigan player. Referee Lee Probert was well positioned, but somehow missed the call.

Check it out (START VIDEO AT 13:25).

Example #3: There are differing opinions on Arsenal's 4-4 draw with Newcastle. After all, the Gunners did blow a 4-0 lead for the first time in Premiership history. But a crucial penalty call changed everything.

The visitors looked ready for a fine win after scoring four first half goals in a fantastic half of football.

The second half was a different story. Spurred on by the sending off of Abou Diaby, who callously shoved over Joey Barton after being angered by a tackle from the midfielder, Newcastle got back into the match on goals from Barton (from the spot) and Leon Best.

Referee Phil Dowd's moment of madness came in the 82nd. He handed the home side a silly penalty (START VIDEO WITH 2:13 LEFT) with less than ten minutes left, somehow seeing a foul when Nolan took a tumble going for an aerial ball in the box. Barton converted, making the score 4-3, and the come back was on.

Cheik Tiote equalized in the 89th with a fantastic volley from outside the area, and it was two points dropped for Arsenal.

But the atrociously poor call Dowd (not exactly in the good graces of Arsenal fans this year) saw Newcastle gain a penalty kick that spurred them on to the improbable draw.

Example #4: Despite fielding a sub-par lineup thanks to injuries, the Gunners had to feel confident when Sunderland visited North London last month. Steve Bruce's side hadn't been the same since losing Darren Bent in January, and were never the strongest road side to begin with.

However, Arsenal looked off the pace in the first half and chances were few and far between while Sunderland created legitimate offense of their own.

Arsenal fought back in the second 45, running rampant on the Black Cats defense. In the end, they should have had a penalty and another goal from the run of play. But Anthony Taylor somehow missed a blatant push from behind in the box courtesy of Titus Bramble, who shoved Andrei Arshavin just before he could shoot on the break (START VIDEO WITH 2:13 LEFT).

Arshavin was involved again minutes later, taking a through ball from Nasri and dribbling around Simon Mignolet before tapping home. Unfortunately, the flag was up, and replays would show that the linesman had completely blown the call (START VIDEO WITH 4:06 LEFT).


Three Titles Won?

Barcelona wanted to pound Real into oblivion as they did earlier in the season, but despite only managing a draw, they are likely headed to a La Liga title, as they now sit eight points atop the table. Having only dropped 11 points this season, it's hard to imagine Barca dropping at least eight in their final six matches.

But Spain wasn't the only league that may have been won on the weekend.

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund are sitting pretty after beating Freiburg 3-0, while chasers Bayer Leverkusen are now eight points adrfit with four matches remaining after Bayern Munich embarrassed them, 5-1.

The top two sides in Die Bundesliga won't meet again this season, meaning it will take quite the collapse from Jurgen Klopp's side merely for things to get interesting down the stretch.

Serie A was a similar story, with leaders AC Milan winning 3-0 over Sampdoria. In the meantime, Napoli couldn't get by Udinese, falling six points off the pace, and Inter Milan are now eight points adrift after being shocked 2-0 at Parma.

Weekend in Review

Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United

34'- Kuyt
39'- Kuyt
65'- Kuyt
90'- Hernandez

HIGHLIGHTS

It's been five days from hell in the red half of Manchester. In a week where they faced two difficult fixtures at Stamford Bridge and Anfield, the Red Devils were defeated twice and now look to be in a real battle for the title.

On Sunday, they ran into a Liverpool team that appear to be coming together and putting the dark days of the Roy Hodgson era behind them. The result was a thorough beating courtesy of Kenny Dalglish's resurgent Reds, who beat them 3-1 before a vociferous crowd of 44,753.

It should be noted that United were not at their best in the back. First choice center halves Rio Ferdinand (injury) and Nemanja Vidic (suspension) both missed out. Young Chris Smalling continued to deputize for Ferdinand, while Wes Brown got the start in place of the Serbian.

Liverpool new boy Luis Suarez faced his first real test in the EPL, and he would pass with flying colors. He had his first chance in the 2nd minute when Rau Miereles fired across the box to the off-balance Uruguayan, who one-touched right at Edwin van der Sar.

Dimitar Berbatov came close in the 16th when his lovely half-volley from distance curled around Pepe Reina but bounced off the far post and out.

Two minutes later, Suarez was again involved when he beat a defender down the left wing and found Miereles's head at the far post. He flicked back across goal and just past the outstretched Dirk Kuyt.

Suarez magnificently created the opening goal in the 34th, beating three United defenders in the box and then slotting between the legs of van der Sar to Kuyt, who only had to tap in for the lead.

The brilliance of Suarez set up Kuyt for his first goal. But it was a bizarre header from Nani five minutes later that lead to the second, as the winger flicked back into the box where the Dutchman awaited at the far post to pounce.

Things got ugly before the half. A terrible challenge from Jamie Carragher saw the veteran go studs up into Nani. The Portuguese at first got up to confront the guilty party, but then went down in pain and was later substituted as a mild fracas ensued. In the end, Carragher got off with just a yellow. Nani was substituted for Javier Hernandez after suffering a "deep gash" in his leg.

There was another altercation when a high boot from Maxi Rodriguez on Rafael angered the Brazilian, who then slid in late on Martin Skrtel, and the two went face-to-face near the center-circle as both sides exchanged pleasantries.

United came back into the match in the second half. Sir Alex Ferguson's side began to posses the ball in dangerous areas as the Reds started to scramble.

In the 48th, Berbatov crossed low and with pace for Javier Hernandez, but the normally reliable finisher scuffed his strike wide.

Rooney hit Giggs with a similar ball in the 55th, but the Welshman's left footed effort dipped moments late.

Four minutes later, Rooney's cross traveled across Reina and was headed back towards goal by Hernandez to the awaiting Berbatov. The Bulgarian's header had the goalkeeper beaten, but Miereles did fantastically well to chest off the line whilst avoiding a hand ball.

United were on the front foot. But it was the home side that would put the result on ice with the next goal. Suarez's well struck free kick was saved by van der Sar, but he had a tough time with the curling strike and fumbled it momentarily, and Kuyt was opportunistic once again to net his hat trick.

£35M man Andy Carroll made his debut for the Reds in the 74th. His first 25 minutes in the Liverpool kit were mainly uneventful, with his only contribution being a headed pass onto the foot of Kuyt, who sliced his effort over.

Kuyt may have bagged his first career hat trick, but it was Suarez who was really making his presence felt. He nearly scored a great goal in the 87th, as he nutmegged Patrice Evra at midfield, then poked the ball around Wes Brown and burst into the right half of the box before shanking his strike well wide.

Steven Gerrard was fairly quiet. But he had two long shots just miss, the second of curling inches wide from a short free kick.

Hernandez pulled back a late consolation, sneaking into the 6-yard box unmarked and nodding into the left corner.

A Tough Week for United

All in all, Manchester United have to consider themselves lucky to still be three points up on Arsenal (more on that later) after their worst week of the season.

They were unfortunate against Chelsea in many ways, but they looked rattled for much of the second half as the Blues stormed back to win.

While the performance at Stamford Bridge wasn't their worst, they came close to that level of ineptitude today. Of course we must credit Liverpool, who played United off the pitch in the first half and had enough left in the tank to get them to the finish.

The absence of Ferdinand and Vidic was certainly crucial. Suarez was giving the Man U back four complete fits. And to be quite honest, Brown and Smalling looked terrified whenever he put them under pressure. The Uruguayan also bested Evra on several occasions down the wing.

With Suarez and company having their way going forward, United's attacking quality was not good enough to keep 'Pool honest. After a decent start, Rooney completely disappeared from the match for nearly thirty minutes. That's inexcusable for a team trying to get a result in hostile territory. For a man that appears to be coming into form, Rooney must get the service necessary to operate.

There's a long way to go in the season. And United must turn their performances around as Arsenal is right on their heels, and Chelsea will be back in with a shout should they beat Blackpool on Monday.

Arsenal Frustrated

Manchester United's loss to Chelsea opened up the door for Arsene Wenger's Gunners, who would have moved to within one point of the leaders with a win against Sunderland on Saturday.

With a chance to put even more pressure on struggling United, Arsenal failed to get the job done, drawing 0-0 at The Emirates in a match where they were always on the front foot, and also massively unlucky to see a series of tough refereeing decisions go against them.

Injuries to midfielders Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas (both are expected back fit for Tuesday's Champions League matchup with Barcelona) forced the enigmatic and rusty Abou Diaby and rarely used Denilson into action. The lack of continuity between the two and Jack Wilshere showed in the first half, as the Gunners looked stretched and unable to possess.

Stephane Sessegnon managed to create a half-chance in the 18th for the visitors, doing well to create space and blasting towards goal where Wojciech Szczesny parried.

Despite the early flurry from the Black Cats, Arsenal defended well as Laurent Koscielny responded from his Carling Cup guffaw with a fine performance amongst the back four.

The Gunners did manage several chances. The two greatest fell to Nicklas Bendtner, who went close on a pair of occasions. First he burst through the defense to get to Wilshere's ball and rifled it upwards, only to see Simon Mignolet get a hand to the powerful strike and push it over. A corner saw him try a bicycle kick that he hit perfectly, but unfortunately for him the effort was right at the goalkeeper.

The second half saw the Gunners furiously pressing forward, creating countless chances.

Andrei Arshavin was at the center of attention for much of the half. Substitute Marouane Chamakh got out on the break and did well to find him alone in front of goal in the 63rd, but the little Russian rushed his shot and Mignolet made another stop.

The French goalkeeper did magnificently well in the 73rd, stopping a goal-bound free kick from Samir Nasri.

Chamakh hit the bar two minutes later as the onslaught continued. Wilshere crossed into the box and the Moroccan rose well, but his header was just inches too high.

A beautiful ball from Nasri within the Arsenal half saw Arshavin through in the 80th. The winger did well to settle himself, but a push from behind from Titus Bramble put him off and he missed the near post. Arsene Wenger and company protested to no avail.

With their opponents in disbelief, Sunderland thrust forward their only meaningful attack of the second 45. Man United loanee Danny Welbeck made his return from injury off the substitutes bench, and nearly made Steve Bruce look like a genius when he took the ball down out of the air in the box, then wheeled and fired to the far post to force a brilliant save from Szczesny.

Jordan Henderson had a chance from the ensuing corner. But his volley was placed right at the young Polish goalkeeper.

The Gunners were again furious with the officiating when Arshavin wrongly had a goal disalowed for offsides in the 86th.

Wenger was justifiably fuming post-match. He called the officiating performance "not acceptable" and it's hard to disagree. In this match, we've seen two decisions go against Arsenal, with one costing them a chance from the spot, while the other incorrectly prevented a go-ahead goal. The cross bar and some fine stops from Mignolet left the home side ruing yet another missed opportunity to make up substantial ground on United.

Despite the result, the Gunners can take solace in the rapidly decreasing form of Man U. In the end, it's another point picked up on the leaders, as Arsenal sit just three points from the summit with a match in hand.

They have one league match (at West Brom) left before the international break. After which, if nothing goes wrong, they should be at full strength for the stretch run with the return of Van Persie.

Still the Gunners have to be frustrated. They have dropped a ton of points in absolutely heartbreaking fashion, blowing leads for instance against the likes of Newcastle (4-0 to 4-4) and Tottenham (2-0 to 3-2). Had they shown a little more composure/poise and/or had a bit more luck they would likely be sitting pretty right now atop the table.

Fireworks at Molineux

I tried to convince my brother (a renowned soccer hater) to stick around and watch Tottenham-Wolves after he had reluctantly enjoyed the Man U-'Pool match. After all, this was a match where both teams would certainly go for the three points. He refused, and instead missed a great 90 minutes as both sides battled it out to a 3-3 draw that featured plenty of talking points to go with several goals of great quality.

Mired in the relegation battle, Wolves will attack whomever comes to Molineux, knowing that the vast majority of their wins down the stretch should come on their home pitch. Meanwhile, Tottenham also were looking to throw bodies forward, knowing that wins against lesser talented sides are an absolute must in their battle for a position in the top four.

Jermain Defoe somehow hadn't scored an EPL goal from the run of play in over a year. He re-opened his account with two absolutely breathtaking strikes that came just minutes apart.

As for Wolves, they showed their usual passion and commitment, fighting back from adversity (and an inexplicable officiating error that saw a late goal disallowed) to muster a draw.

Before I leave you to watch the highlights for yourself, I want to give a little love to George Elokobi. The left back won't get much fanfare, and may not have a major EPL career should he not help keep Wolves at the top level. However, with his tough demeanor, fearless defending, and his fine fitness and work ethic (I wouldn't want to run into that guy in a back alley), he's everything you want from a player when you're battling the drop. That's the kind of spirit that Wanderers need to duplicate if they want to avoid relegation this season.

Check out the highlights.

In Case you Missed It...

I sang the praises of Bundesliga leading Borussia Dortmund last week. But there's another young team taking their domestic league by storm in France. If you haven't been paying much attention to Lille, it might be time to take notice.

Like Dortmund, Les Dogues (The Mastiffs in our tongue) have defeated the notion that you can't win with youth. While their challengers have had their ups and downs in a Ligue 1 season lacking intrigue, Rudi Garcia's bunch have kept chugging along and getting results. They did so again on Sunday, notching a last second goal from substitute Pierre-Alain Frau (one of the few veterans of the squad) to beat preseason title favorites Marseille 2-1.

Lille began to assemble this young team in 2008-09 with current Lyon star Michel Bastos leading them, as they burst onto the scene to make a serious challenge for a Champions League spot and were outside title contenders all year. Les Dogues would lose the magical Brazilian left footer that summer, and it hurt them last season. But they still fought back to finish fourth place and garner a second straight Europa League bid. Meanwhile, without Bastos to bail them out, the likes of youngsters Eden Hazard (20 years old) and Gervinho (23) came of age.

Then Garcia made a brilliant move last summer when he signed little known 24-year old Moussa Sow after his contract expired with Rennes. He (18 goals) and Gervinho (11) lead the team with scoring, while Hazard has blossomed into one of the world's top prospects from the left wing.

In a season where Ligue 1 has been dull at best, the youthful upstarts from Lille have certainly provided a bright spot.

As for Dortmund, they now lead by 12 points in Die Bundesliga after a 1-0 win over Koln. But the story of the weekend in Germany was a major shake up in the race for the Champions League, as a pair of surprise teams upset two of the big boys to jockey for places in the top three.

Bayern Munich may be looking good in the Champions league, but life has been much rougher domestically. Bayern were all but eliminated from the title race in a 3-1 defeat to Dortmund last week, now they're all the way down to fifth in the table after a loss by the same score to high-flying Hannover. The win puts Steve Cherundolo's side (had to sneak that in there) into the third and final Champions League spot, five points ahead of Bayern.

Their closest challenger is Mainz. This is just their second season in the top flight, but they did well to finish in the top half of the table last season. Today they sit four points back of Hannover after beating favored Hamburg (now seventh place and ten points adrift of third) 4-2 on Sunday.

What are your thoughts from the weekend in footy? Feel free to leave comments below!

Gunners Glory

Ya'll know the drill... LEAVE COMMENTS!

Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona

26'- Villa
78'- Van Persie
83'- Arshavin

When Arsenal and Barcelona met last year at The Emirates, Arsenal came back from a late deficit to put the pressure on the favorites as they headed to the Camp Nou for the second leg. It was a similar situation Wednesday as Barca jumped out to an early lead, but couldn't extend the gap, and then could only watch as a strong Arsenal side came back to score not once, but twice in the final 12 minutes to take a crucial lead back to Spain.

The Gunners were shorthanded last season (missing the likes of Song, Vermaelen, Van Persie, Fabregas, and more over the two ties). That was not the case this time around as Samir Nasri made his return from a hamstring injury to replace Arshavin. Meantime, Arsene Wenger was able to field a nearly full strength lineup, only missing the suspended Bacary Sagna in the back four.

Barca were without Carles Puyol in the middle. Eric Abidal slid inside to replace him while Maxwell deputized out left. But otherwise Pep Guardiola's side were also at full strength.

Barca came out holding onto much of the possession. But it was the Gunners who fought their way back into the game to create the match's first chance early on. Theo Walcott did well to cut inside from his right wing position and play a nice square ball for Fabregas in the box. The former Barca youth player received the ball, took a touch, and promptly scooped it over the head of the defense for the in-form Van Persie, who ran onto it before seeing his shot saved well by Victor Valdes.

The Gunners continued to press, but lacked the quality in the final third to create another chance.

Then the visitors took over. Xavi Hernandez and Andrés Iniesta began to carve open the Gunners' defense with some fantastic passes.

Messi went close after Villa played him in behind down the left, but Wojciech Szczesny did well to close down the angle, and the Argentinean phenom's chip went just wide of the far post.

Barca kept pressing, and had Arsenal on their heels. They would take a lead that seemed inevitable in the 26th. Messi caught Gael Clichy defending too deep and found Villa onsides behind the defense. The Spaniard made no mistake, putting a low strike through the legs of Szczesny for the lead.

Pedro could have made it 2-0 just minutes later. But his shot from close range was stopped by Szczesny.

Van Persie squandered yet another opportunity in the 29th after Jack Wilshere's perfectly weighted diagonal ball saw him in down the left side. But he hesitated in the box before putting a sub-par effort well over.

Minutes later, Pedro got through on goal once again. But Szczesny was off his line quickly to make the save. Messi headed the rebound into the net, but he was offsides when Pedro shot and the goal would not stand.

The rest of the half saw an increasingly desperate looking Arsenal holding on for dear life. The visitors looked dangerous, but couldn't carve out another clear opportunity before the break.

Arsenal looked a bit more composed on the defensive side as the second half began. And they started to grasp control of the match.

Van Persie blasted a long shot over the bar in the 57th. Then he couldn't get on the end of a low cross from Nasri as Gerard Pique challenged him.

But Barca began to dominate soon after, as it appeared that Arsenal might be left to rue their missed chances. A failed clearance from Eboue helped Messi burst through on the left side of the box, he tried to beat Szczesny near post but found side-netting.

Then it was Arsenal's turn to step on the gas. And this time they were rewarded.

In the 78th, Gael Clichy lobbed behind the left side of defense, Robin Van Persie hooked onto that the close to the end-line, then caught Valdes leaning the wrong way and beat him to the near post for a stunning equalizer.

Five minutes later they had the lead. Fabregas found Nasri streaking down the wing with one defender to beat. The Frenchman cut inside and rolled the ball across the area to Arshavin, who finished beautifully with a curling effort to the far post.

Arshavin nearly went from hero to zero when his poor header back to Szczesny allowed Dani Alves to pounce on the ball in the right half of the area, but the Pole once again charged off his line to make the save.

Soon after, the referee whistled for full time, and the Gunners had beaten the Spanish giants for the first time in their history.

Opinion

Arshavin's goal capped a magnificent night for Arsenal, who fought tooth and nail throughout to stay in the match. And they probably deserved at least a goal after a host of near misses throughout the match.

The Gunners' actual goals ended up being created by their best attacking players. But if it wasn't for several other players stepping up, Barca could have been out of sight before RVP's equalizer.

Arsenal's stars did come through on the two goals thanks to RVP's finish (it must be said the goal was aided by a terrible goalkeeping error from Valdes, who didn't cover his near post), and the fantastic counterattack goal from Arshavin (set up well by passes from Fabregas and Nasri).

However, one would have to argue that Arsenal's most dangerous players did not perform well. Fabregas had one of his worst night's in European Football, as he gave the ball away a multitude of times and was not clinical in front of goal. Meanwhile, Van Persie missed a pair of great opportunities in the first half and didn't make Valdes work on two shots from distance in the second 45. Nasri, returning from injury, looked off the pace and was hardly involved before cleverly finding Arshavin for the final score. Walcott was also uninvolved, and was subsituted in the 76th minute for Nicklas Bendtner. Alex Song, who many consider the anchor of the Gunners' defense as he holds down the midfield when Wilshere/Fabregas venture forward, was off his game, as an early yellow card made the physical defensive midfielder a non-factor. He was substituted for Arshavin in the second half.

While Arsenal's big names weren't getting the job done, several Gunners made unexpected contributions.

Laurent Koscienly turned in a man of the match performance at center-half. He stifled attack after attack for Barca, was never out of position, and somehow went the entire match without losing a one-on-one battle with Messi, Villa, or Pedro. It was surely his best performance in an Arsenal kit.

Furthermore, it's important to note that Koscielny has withstood a lot of abuse from Arsenal fans and the media, much of it unfair. A closer look tells a different story. Yes, Koscielny has been guilty of a few egregious errors in the back that have resulted in goals this season. But his mistakes are not fundamental issues with his defending, they are more of the silly variety, which are easily fixable. His ability should not be questioned, as he is a creative player who can set up the attack with a nice pass, or break up an attack with a well timed challenge.

How a player could endure so much criticism for not being a flawless center half in the EPL from day one is beyond me. Not everyone can be Thomas Vermaelen, people. The Frenchman has been improving and adjusting to the game every week. And if you look at the job he has done on the whole, he's actually been quite good, and clearly has potential to turn into a fine defender.

I find myself lost for words when describing the maturity of 19-year old Jack Wilshere. Can someone check the kid's birth certificate? He continues to be completely unfazed in each and every situation he's placed in.

Yesterday, he was the Gunners' best attacking player. He rarely gave the ball away, and was still able to make several dangerous moves forward from his deeper role in midfield. Here we have a youngster playing on by far the biggest stage of his career, and somehow he looked the most composed and effective on a side featuring some of the world's most established players.

There was one more fine performance from one of Arsenal's less experienced players. It came from the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. The 20-year old was Arsenal's fourth-string goalkeeper in preseason, but was widely recognized as a top prospect, especially after his loan spell to Brentford last year had the Bees fans comparing him to past greats.

On Messi's first breakway, the 23-year old looked surprised after the young goalkeeper had stormed off his line without hesitating, and then managed to keep his arms up as he went to ground, making the chip from Messi a difficult one. He made a similar play on Pedro later in the first half to keep the Gunners close.

Then he came up huge in the final seconds, leaving his line to deny Alves after Arshavin's poor header saw the Brazilian in one-on-one with the Pole. He did well to close off the angle, and then showed great poise by not diving in, when doing so would have surely causing a penalty kick.

I'd say the trio of Wilshere, Szczesny, and Koscielny saved the day for Arsenal. And between the three of them, the Gunners have several fine players for many years to come.

Looking Ahead

With the second leg looming, you'd still have to consider the EPL side as underdogs. Barcelona scored the crucial away goal at The Emirates, and now know that any combination of goals and a clean sheet (which has been their specialty this season) will see them through.

Obviously, Wenger would prefer to see his team not concede at the Camp Nou. But let's be honest here, and realize that the Gunners' chance of shutting out Barca are unlikely at best. Especially when considering their typical insistence on playing attacking football.

One would have to think that they would enter the second leg with a bit more caution, but certainly with plenty of attacking intentions. Without question, Arsenal's best defense will be their offense, as matching Barcelona on away goals seems a much more likely scenario than holding them scoreless.

If you ask me, the second leg should be more of the same between these two. After all, both teams will enter the match at the Camp Nou knowing that the quality of their offensive performance will play perhaps the greatest role in the final result.

The Arsenal fan in me is nervous about that tie. But the football fan in me simply can't wait.