Barcelona Trip

12 of us Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club members travelled to Barcelona on 16 March to watch Arsenal's second leg against Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16. Eight early risers flew to El Prat airport at the crack of dawn, while the remaining four took train from Alicante station. On the train, we found fellow Gooners on their way to Barcelona for the match that night. They were the 22 strong members of another official supporters club on the Costa Blanca based 100 km north of where we live. It was great to meet them finally face to face.

On the metro, on the streets and in cafes and bars, Arsenal shirts were everywhere in Barcelona. A "Super Sanchez" flag with an old Arsenal badge and a Chilean flag was on display outside a flat in Placa Catalunya. After shocked by the price of drinks on La Rambla (€11 a pint is not what we are used to in our neck of the woods), we found an Irish bar just off the famous busy street, where drinks were served at more reasonable prices. Arsenal fans started pouring into Flaherty's Irish Bar as the afternoon wore on. With Arsenal songs old and new turning up the volume, a pre-match party was in full swing.

There was a controversial  "Arsene: Thank you for the memories but it's time to say goodbye" banner hung among a few supporters-club flags in the Placa Real, where more pre-match parties were going on. We might be divided in our views, but we are all united by love for the Club, whether you are a "Wenger-Out" or "Wenger-In". The riot police and ambulance crew's presence was conspicuous, but there was no sign of their service being required. It was a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Rain started falling 3 hours before the kick-off. After arriving at the Camp Nou, we had to take shelter in the narrow corridors under the away section until just before the kick-off in our feeble efforts to escape from rain and the cold. With the Champions League anthem ringing out, we reluctantly ventured outside. There were so many stewards in the stadium, but nobody was willing to help us find our seats. In pouring rain and strong wind, seats started filling in the away section, but so many home fans did not bother to turn up in this weather. The stadium was half empty (later on official attendance number was announced as just over 76,000). We knew away supporters would be tucked away up in the cloud. Expect the worst, then you will be pleasantly surprised. A view from the away section was not as bad as expected.

However, the overall condition of the away section was appalling. Earlier this season, Bayern Munich fans walked out of the Champions League group-stage match at the Emirates for the opening 5 minutes in their protest against the ticket price. We don't know how much they had to pay for the match, but we are quite sure that they had a much better deal than we did here at the Camp Nou. We paid €84 or £65 for this colour-faded hard plastic seat on the top layer of the stadium exposed to the elements. Bayern fans must have enjoyed better views in the Emirates' padded seats. We learnt later during our stay in Barcelona that the Camp Nou is classified as a five-star category stadium. What category status has the Emirates been awarded then?

Those who braved the weather were treated to an entertaining game. As Arsene Wenger stated, Barcelona are almost perfect, but not perfect. They always gives you a chance. In fact, we had numerous chances throughout the game. We started brightly. Mesut Ozil carried the ball 30 yards forward before flashing his shot wide from the edge of the box and this was just a beginning. It was disheartening that despite the encouraging start, we fell behind as early as in the 18th minute. However, the goal didn't change the landscape very much. The bottom line was that we still needed 3 goals to progress.

Arsenal got a deserved equaliser 5 minutes into the second half through Elneny's first goal in an Arsenal shirt. The goal changed the entire mood in the away section. We heard one fan say "we might do it".  But Suarez's wonder goal 13 minutes later almost extinguished our hopes. Arsenal didn't give up, though. Welbeck hit the crossbar from the close range and Alexis (how he wanted to score against his old club!) had a goal-bound free-kick well saved. However, it was Barcelona who had the final word. Messi completed an MSN hat-trick to make it 5-1 aggregate.

The scoreline flattered Barcelona. We had enough chances to win the game on the night with Barcelona's defence a suspect, but in the end, what made a difference between the two sides was finishing. We couldn't convert chances we had created, which is an all-too-familiar story in the recent months. Arsenal's European adventure has come to an end for another season, but what mattered was to make sure that the boys would go into the next game with their heads held high. Although the result was not what we hoped for, we were quite happy with our team's spirited performance. We hoped that this night's showing would become a springboard for a successful run-in. Signs are promising as Arsenal ran out a comfortable 2-0 victory at Goodison Park just 65 hours after this match. Making only one forced change from the starting XI that faced Barcelona, Wenger may have found a winning formula.

During the match, there were signs on the board and announcements through the PA system to request Arsenal supporters to remain in their seats until the end of the match. It may have appeared that disappointed away fans deserted their team before the final whistle, but the truth was that they tried to avoid being kept in the stadium for 45 minutes after the match and make their way straight to nearest underground stations. They reached a nearby metro station swiftly only to find it closed.

We saw through the game but made our way swiftly to the covered area as soon as the final whistle had been blown. As expected, we were held inside until all the home crowd donwstairs left the stadium. Relieved from the cold and rain rather than frustrated for the long wait, some Arsenal fans started singing and they were soon joined by others. The bare concrete ceilings created an tremendous acoustic effect, which presented one of the highlights of the night.

We finally got out of the stadium, but we didn't know where we were. Hundreds of stewards, if not thousands, watched us leave the ground as if they had been giving us a guard of honour. There was heavy police presence outside the stadium, with some police officers handling straying away supporters heavy handed. We had no choice but to follow the crowd, without knowing where we were or where we were heading for. Barcelona is an inhospitable city for away supporters. We were very disappointed with how this city and Barcelona FC treated us.

Arsenal 2 Leicester City 1

At the final whistle coming through TV speakers in Doolan's Bar, we were as happy as exhausted after the roller coaster of emotions. There were plenty of dramas. At the end of the first half, the tentative gap between the two side at the top was as large as 8 points, which would have dealt  a massive blow to our title aspiration. Going into stoppage time, a point looked a very likely result, with Leicester weathering wave after wave of the hosts' attack. Then, in the last seconds of injury time, the 83rd-minute substitute Danny Welbeck put his glancing header into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, which saw the Gunners move just 2 points behind the leaders Leicester City. Arsenal were now truly back on the track for the title pursuit.

Arsene Wenger made 2 changes to the starting XI that beat Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium a week ago. Prior to the game, one of the major talking points was whether Gabriel should keep his place for his pace, or Mertesacker should replace him for his better reading of the game and aerial edge against his compatriot Huth, who claimed 2 goals against Man City last Saturday. As it happened, the boss didn't  even have the choice as Gabriel suffered a slight hamstring injury in training. Mertesacker against pacey Jamie Vardy was not a prospect we looked forward to. Meanwhile, Francis Coquelin made his first league start since his return from injury at the expense of Mathieu Flamini, who dropped to the bench. Among other substitutes, Danny Welbeck's return since April 2015 was a big boost after his lengthy lay-off. Wenger previously stated that the England striker could feature in the following week's FA Cup 5th round tie against Hull City, while some reports suggested a possibility of the ex-Man U player involved in this game. We were scepitcal about the reports as he had only an hour of an U-21 game under his belt, which seemed to be far from a sufficient preparation for such an important game.

As it was expected, The Gunners enjoyed majority of possession, creating decent opportunities in the opening stage. However, they were 1-0 down at half time as Jamie Vardy scored from the spot in the 45th minute.

To make the matter worse, Laurent Koscielny was replaced by Chambers at half time after suffering a dead leg. Two slow centre-backs facing Leicester's counter-attacks looked increasingly problematic. The mood at Doolan's Bar was fairly subdued as we talked about how our seasons petered out in the space of a couple of weeks after losing big games in title races coupled with exits from domestic and European cup competitions. However, Simpson's sending-off changed the mood. Ranieri seemed to have decided to sit back and protect their narrow lead for the remaining 40 minutes with 9 men behind the ball, when he took Riyad Mahrez off  for a defender Marcin Wasilewski. Although Mahrez was kept quiet by then, it was a relief to see the back of him.

From this point onwards, it was just one-way traffic. Wenger threw Theo Walcott in at the expense of Francis Coquelin, who was already on a yellow card and whose role looked redundant in what appeared to be a case of attack v defence. The 61st-minute substitute scored an equaliser 9 minutes after his introduction as the hosts mounted pressure. With 20 minutes remaining, it appeared that we had a good chance of winning this game. However, as has been the case in recent weeks, the Gunners' finishing left much to be desired. Arsenal amassed 22 attempts at goal throughout the game, of which only 6 were on target. In fact, Theo's equaliser was Arsenal's first shot on target. Aaron Ramsey, Mertesacker, Alexis all had their chances, but could not find the net.We thought Arsenal needed more mobility in their attack and Welbz was just the man who could provide it. But how ready is he? Wenger replied to our call by bringing the England striker on in the 83rd minute.

After Welbz missing a glorious chance in front of goal and Giroud's powerful shot denied by Casper Schmeichel, we nearly resigned that this could be one of those days. As the game entered the last seconds of four added minutes, Leicester substitute, Wasilewski's mindless challenge on Monreal gave us the last hope. Mesut Ozil's free-kick was perfect. There was wild celebration at Doolan's Bar. Apparently, Welbz' goal was Arsenal's 100th goal after the 90-minute mark. Surely, Man U should be the specialists in "Fergie-Time goals", shouldn't they?

One of the biggest post-match talking points was the referee's decisions. We have to agree with Martin Atkinson's decision for the penalty. Nacho Monreal did outstretch his leg in front of Vardy, but is Leicester earning more penalties (10) than any other club just a coincidence? It's safe to say that they are good at winning them. Mahrez's try in the second half was another example, which the referee waved away correctly.

We had a legitimate penalty claim in the 8th minute, when Kanté handled the ball in the box to stop the Ox's cross. The French midfielder clearly moved his arm to block the ball. Also, prior to the penalty incident, Ozil was fouled by Wes Morgan at the other end , but the referee didn't even acknowledge it.

Pundits claim that Simpson's sending-off, especially his first yellow card, was too harsh. However, Leicester got away with too many fouls in the first half. Martin Atkinson even turned an blind eye to Drinkwater's potentially leg-breaking lunge into Ramsey. Instead, Arsenal ended the first half with 3 yellow cards. OK, Alexis demanding the referee a card was not commendable, but he was fouled 4 times, more than any other player on the pitch. A yellow card should stop this kind of crude approaches to stop Arsenal playing. Committing another foul just 5 minutes later, Simpson has only himself to blame for his dismissal. Pulling Giroud's shirt by the sleeve and holding him back was a cynical foul (as cynical as Koscielny's yellow-card offence ).

Despite the massive result, all is not necessarily rosy as we still have a problem with our finishing. However, we take more positives from this game. First of all, the Gunners showed their passion and desire to win. They weren't content with a draw and kept fighting for 3 points until the last second against a resolute Leicester side. "A must-win" label on this game seemed to have motivated them rather than pressurised them. They started a lot better than in their last two home games.

Secondly, we are pleased with improved depth in the squad. We had literally game changers on the bench on this day. A month ago, our attacking option on the bench was limited to two teenagers. Both Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere are expected to be back in a few weeks, according to Wenger, which should provide a further boost to the squad depth.

Our next opponents in the Premier League are Manchester United who are struggling to find consistency. This is considered as one of our most difficult away games remaining this season, but we have a blue print for this match. We adopted an away-game tactic against them in October's reverse fixture, which turned out to be the only game in which we have actually blown away somebody so far this season. But before that, we have to face Hull City this Saturday and Barcelona next Tuesday in two different competitions.

Players ratings

Cech: 8
With Leicester registering only 3 shots on target, he had little to do, but made an excellent save in the first half, when Vardy's header was heading for the left-hand bottom corner of the net.

Bellerin: 7
He was guilty of allowing Vardy's header, but was involved in the build-up for the equaliser by delivering a decent cross for Giroud.

Mertesacker: 7
We feared his lack of pace against Leicester, but he did OK, making a tackle and 2 clearances. However, he should have put his free header at least on target.

Koscielny: 7
Made a tackle, 2 interceptions and 5 clearances in his 45 minutes on the pitch. Replaced by Chambers at half time due to a dead leg. Hopefully, he should recover by the time when we face Barcelona. Shown a yellow card for his challenge on Kanté.

Monreal: 7
Although he conceded a penalty, he was always available for Alexis in the attack. Made 5 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 4 clearances, delivering 9 crosses.

Coquelin: 6
Quiet game, making no tackle, only 2 interceptions and 1 clearance. He made his presence felt most when he was furiously complaining about Mehrez's slow exit when the Algerian was substituted. Shown a yellow card in the 35th minute and gave way for Theo in the 83rd minute.

Ramsey: 7
Made 4 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 clearance and also made 106 passes with a 89.6% success rate. Had 4 shots, none of which were on target. His finishing let us down again.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Lively on the right wing, occasionally swapping sides with Alexis. Created 3 chances and delivered 10 crosses.

Özil: 8
He looked struggling against a physical Leicester side in the first half, but he still created 6 chances, delivering a whopping 12 crosses. His deft lofted pass to release Giroud behind Leicester defence nearly led to an opening goal before it was choked off as Giroud was adjudged offside. Claimed his 17th assist of the season with his free-kick leading to Welbz' winner. Daily Mail and Whoscored.com's Man of the Match.

Alexis: 7
Did not quite live up to expectations. His bad habit of ball hogging was more noticeable in this game. Had 6 shots, none of which were on target.


Giroud: 8
As Arsenal bombarded Leicester defence with a massive 50 crosses, he was the central target. Won an impressive 12 aerial duels. His link-up play was excellent, providing an assist for Walcott's equaliser by cleverly knocking down Bellerin's cross into the England striker's path. Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself. Had 7 shots, 3 of which were on target. Made 4 key passes. He may not have scored for a month, but his contribution to the team is immense.

Subs

Chambers: 7

Replaced Koscielny at half time. We worried about his lack of playing time this season, but he didn't look rusty. Perhaps helped by Leicester's change of tactics after the sending-off. Made a tackle, 2 interceptions, and 2 clearances.

Walcott: 7
Replaced Coquelin in the 61st minutes. Scored the equaliser with a skillful finish and composure.

Welbeck: 7

Came on in the 83rd minute for the Ox. Had 2 shots, both of which were on target, including the winner. He failed to make proper contact with Giroud's knock-down when he was ideally positioned for a goal, though. Great to have him back. Arsenal fans' (emotionally chosen) Man of the Match.

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 1

Arsenal went into the game, looking to end their winless run and goal drought against Chelsea. After Leicester's 3-0 win over Stoke and Manchester City's taking a point from a 2-2 draw with West Ham, the Gunners started this game third in the table. Nevertheless, there were still 11 league places separating the two London sides, with last season's champions sitting 14th and 19 points behind Arsenal. Although whether Guus Hiddink's side would park the bus away from home, just like under his predecessor, Mourinho, remained to see, we thought this could be the best opportunity in years to claim a victory against them. However, the potentially good derby game was yet again ruined by the same cheat and the referee's poor decision.

Arsene Wenger made just one change to the side that started in a 0-0 draw with Stoke City the week earlier. Mesut Ozil, who missed the trip to Britannia Stadium through a toe injury, regained his place at the expense of Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain who dropped to the bench. Among other substitutes, we welcomed Alexis back after missing 10 games since he suffered a hamstring injury in November. New signing, Mohammed Elneny continued to wait for his debut in an Arsenal shirt on the bench. David Ospina, Gabriel, Calum Chambers, Kieran Gibbs, and the Ox occupied the remaining places on the bench. Theo Walcott was awarded captain's armband in the week that marked his 10th anniversary at the Club.

The game started as a typical end-to-end derby game between these two sides at high tempo and once again, the officials' decision played a huge part in the game. This time around, it was Per Mertesacker that saw a red card only 18 minutes into the game. Maybe we shouldn't have played such a high line with the notoriously slow centre-back in the rear guard. The German defender's look at the linesman might have slowed his action even further. He probably should have pulled out of the tackle and left it for Cech to deal with onrushing Costa. With all his shortcomings aside, there was no contact with Diego Costa, who rolled over the ground after taking a big leap. With 72 minutes to play with 10 men, the sending-off gave us a mountainous task.

It got even worse for us 4 minutes later. Conceding such a soft goal was a killer blow. Monreal was too slow to close down Ivanovic, who was allowed to deliver a cross on the right wing. It was very disappointing that we allowed Costa to tap in the cross at near post, despite his obvious threat in front of goal.

At Doolan's bar, we were reasonably content with trailing only by a goal at half time, especially after Flamini just missing a glorious chance in the stoppage time. The French midfielder ghosted into the box between the two Chelsea centre-backs, trying to volley Ramsey's cross. This Chelsea defence was not faultless.

Arsenal came out strong in the second half. Alexis was introduced in the 57th minute in place of Campbell. You couldn't fault the Gunners' efforts. They never gave up. It was hard to tell which side was a man down. They could have nicked a point when Courtois flapped at a corner or when Flamini's flick was saved by the Belgian keeper. 5 minutes were added at the end of normal time. Cech came up for an Arsenal corner. However, it was Chelsea that came away with 3 points as the final ball did not just quite come off for us.

One of the big talking points of the game was Wenger's decision to take Giroud off. The French striker was sacrificed to accommodate Gabriel who replaced Mertesacker. It was clear in the home crowd's expressions on the camera that his call raised many people's eyebrows. In the post-match interview, Wenger explained his decision as a tactical one. Pace was key in counter-attacking after sending off as Arsenal were supposedly forced to drop deep. The Frenchman also admitted that the risk of injury to Giroud was on his mind. The France international missed training the day before through an ankle problem. If he had got injured during the match, the boss would have had to use one of the remaining valuable substitutions. As three of our best chances fell to Flamini, we wondered if Giroud could have converted some of those chances. But then, probably Terry and Zouma wouldn't have allowed Giroud to run past them. Giroud is a more obvious target and easier mark for them.

As it turned out, it was Chelsea who opted for counter-attacking after half time. Arsenal had more play than Wenger anticipated in and around the Chelsea box, where Giroud's presence would have been useful. But this is all hindsight.

2 points from difficult away games at Anfield and Britannia Stadium were creditable, but this loss dealt with a significant blow to our title credentials. Taking 2 points out of the last 3 games was damaging for our title challenge, but the race is a long way with 15 matches remaining, including games against our title rivals. We are still in the mix, 3 points behind Leicester City and level on points with 2nd-placed Manchester City. Hopefully, we can get back to winning ways on coming Saturday against Burnley in the FA Cup 4th Round to restore our confidence. We look forward to seeing our new signing on the pitch for the first time in an Arsenal shirt. Also, we have a few players coming back from injuries in the next couple of weeks. Rosicky had 45 minutes under his belt after playing in an U-21 game on Friday. Coqulin has already resumed full training, while Danny Welbeck is expected to be back in full training this week. Alexis Sanchez looked sharp, causing problems for Chelsea defence. He always has a potential to conjure up a goal out of nothing. By the time we face Southampton at home in the Premier League Tuesday week, hopefully our squad will be in the better shape.

Players ratings

Cech: 8
He was at no fault for the goal and made some smart saves. His decisions were spot-on as well.

Bellerin: 7
Made a tackle, 5 interceptions and 3 clearances. His pace made the difference in defence and attack.

Mertesacker: 5
Costa dived, but he has his own faults as well. 

Koscielny: 6
Perhaps he could have done better in the first goal. With captain's armband handed over by Theo around his arm, he looked distraught after the final whistle, helped up by Cech.

Monreal: 6
His slow reaction to the loose ball ultimately cost us a goal. That said, he combined well with Alexis going forward but took a touch too many when he received the ball in a great position from the Chilean. Cleared a short off the line.  

Flamini: 6
Left the back four exposed at times.


Ramsey: 6
His passing was wayward, although his passing success rate does not read too bad at 87.9%. As Flamini bombed forward on every occasion, he had to take a defensive responsibility. Made 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 clearances. 

Campbell: 6
He always works hard, making 3 tackles in this game but his finishing lacked quality. 68.8% passing success was poor. Replaced by Alexis in the 57th minute.

Özil: 6
Struggled to find space. Created only 1 chance, made 64 passes with a 76.% accuracy, which speaks volumes for his under-par display. Hopefully, he will rediscover his form soon. 

Walcott: 6
Made some clever runs, but adjudged off-side often (and missed the target anyway in one of those occasions). It was a disappointing display from the man who celebrated his 10th year at the Club this week.

Giroud: 6
His link-up play looked good before he was taken off in the 21st minute. 

Subs

Gabriel: 6

Replaced Giroud in the 21st minute after the sending-off of Mertesacker. He failed to deal with Costa in the only goal of the game, although other defenders, including Flamini, may be to blame, too. Made 2 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 clearance.

Alexis: 7
Replaced Campbell in the 57th minutes. He looked dangerous going forward and even made a crucial tackle after tracking back. Made a big difference to the game.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6

Came on in the 74th minute for Walcott. He had a half-chance towards the end of the chance, but failed to connect. But used his pace well.

Liverpool 3 Arsenal 3

Going into the midweek match, Arsenal were slight favourites to win it despite playing away from home. The table told us there were 7 league positions and 12 points between the two sides. We were confident that this team had enough quality to beat an injury-ravaged Liverpool side especially after a convincing performance from our young team against Sunderland in the FA Cup 3rd round. As it turned out, a number of Liverpool players became available in 48 hours prior to the game, recovering from injuries just in time for the big match (just as Arsene Wenger predicted, citing "Arsene is a very good doctor - they always heal when they play against us!"). There were suggestions that injuries were Jurgen Klopp's excuse to field a weakened side against a League 2 outfit, Exeter City, last Friday. Although they were still missing key players, likes of Skrtel and Coutinho, Liverpool were able to field a much stronger side widely anticipated.

On Arsene Wenger's side, the Frenchman made 5 changes to the side that started in a 3-1 victory over Sunderland. Per Mertesacker was recalled at the expense of Gabriel, after having a breather. Nacho Monreal replaced Kieran Gibbs at left-back. Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey came in for the central midfield partnership of Calum Chambers and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who both shone on Sunday. After rested against Sunerland, Mesut Ozil replaced Alex Iwobi, who also impressed in the three-man midfield alongside Chambers and the Ox. David Opsina failed to pass late fitness tests again after missing the FA Cup match through a groin problem. 21-year-old Matt Macey travelled instead. Among other substitutes were Gabriel, Chambers, Gibbs, the Ox, Iowabi and Mikel Arteta. Amid rumours about his loan move away from the north London club during the January transfer window, Debuchy was not on the bench.

It was a fantastic game to watch, played at high tempo and with intensity from the first whistle to the last. There were some great team movements as well as individual brilliance. Four goals were scored within frantic 25 minutes of kick-off, with Ramsey's shot cleared off the line and Giroud missing a sitter. After Giroud's sublime goal in the 55th minute, the Gunners held on the lead for a long spell, weathering Liverpool's attack. It was very frustrating to concede an equaliser at the final minute of normal time. However, we take heart from the way Arsenal came back from a goal down twice to take the lead. They were cagey at the beginning of the game. We feared the repeat of the 5-1 loss 2 years ago and Wenger cited that game as a factor behind their initial nervousness. But Arsenal turned the match on its head by continuing to play their game.

It was a good night for all football fans. The officials did not have a great night, though. Campbell should have been given a penalty when he was pulled back in the box in the first half. Nathaniel Clyne was lucky to stay on the pitch when he kicked Campbell. It was a bookable offence and the ref would have shown a yellow card without doubt if he had not already done so.

As Wenger stated in the post-match interview, we, too, were frustrated with the result, but content with the performance. Some fans argue this was our best performance of this season so far, even better than the one against Man City or Olympiacos. Given the opponents' performance on the night, this was certainly the best game we have played in this season. But is this two points dropped or a point gained? At Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, we were split on that point. We had enough chances to win the game. Had it not been for defensive mistakes, we should have seen out a 3-2 victory. Draws are only useful when it is against your title rivals. On the other hand, Liverpool dominated in possession at 59% to our 41% and were also superior in other stats (i.e., number of goal attempts, shots on target, passing success rates, aerial success, number of tackles). Furthermore, Anfield is always a difficult place to go. Besides, Liverpool always raise their games against big teams. Man City and Chelsea were already beaten by them this season even on home soil. Some journalists talk up the lost points as a vital blow to the Gunners' title challenge. However, we would like to think that our strong position in the title race has been intact, with players like Alexis Sanchez coming back from injury and reinforcement to the squad arriving in January.  

How costly these points dropped are is yet to be seen, but for now, at least we didn't lose ground to Manchester City, who only drew with Everton at home on the same night, while we slightly extended the lead over Tottenham, who was beaten at home by Leicester. A point saw us maintain the top spot, although we let second-placed Leicester City close the gap to  mere goal difference. The tough run of games continue with a Stoke away on Sunday, arguably the most difficult of the three fixtures.

Players ratings

Cech: 7
For the first goal, perhaps he should have done better than only parrying Emre Can's effort straight to Firmino. He could have nothing to stop the Brazilian's second. On the other hand, he got his hand to Joe Allen's shot, but was not able to keep it away from his goal.

Bellerin: 7
Quiet display after the-man-of-the-match performance against Sunderland. He could have done better to stop Liverpool's late equaliser as he wasn't aware of Allen's run till it was too late.

Mertesacker: 7
Pulled off two crucial interventions at the latter stage of the game. 

Koscielny: 8
Assured performance after letting Firmino fire through his legs for the opener.

Monreal: 8
Kept Ibe in his pocket all through the game. Made 3 tackles, 3 interceptions and 7 clearances. 

Flamini: 7
Did a dirty job quietly, but we missed Coqulin, who could have broken up the play more efficiently. Made 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 7 clearances. Blocked 3 shots.

Ramsey: 8
Did what he is good at, when arriving in the box late to score an equaliser. Provided an assist by taking a corner for Giroud's first goal.

Campbell: 8
Worked his socks off. Did a lot of defensive work for the team, as well as offensive jobs, including delivering a perfect through ball for Ramsey. Made more tackles (5) than any other Arsenal player. He was involved in Giroud's second goal as well, but he could not direct his half-volley on target when Ozil's clever lofted pass found his run on the right-hand channel. However, he is getting stronger every game. He should keep his place even when Alexis gets fit again.

Özil: 7
Although he was kept quiet most of the first half and couldn't make a telling impact, he was still joy to watch. His touches were excellent. One minute he was surrounded by a couple of Liverpool players with the ball, next second he had an acre of space without the ball. Magic. He still made 3 key passes.

Walcott: 6 
Made an error leading to the first goal, by losing possession outside the box. He did well to make a run through the right-hand channel into the box and square the ball, which Giroud failed to tuck in. He was largely anonymous in the first 20 minutes.

Giroud: 8
Barclays and Arsenal fans' Man of the Match. Scored two goals. Especially, his second goal showcased his excellent skill set. Arsenal's first equaliser started from his header, after which he was left on the floor and then with stitches on the head. His second goal was 11th in his last 11 away games, a remarkable progress for a striker who did not manage to score a goal outside London in his first season. However, he should have scored from 2 yards out. Ironically, the much-maligned striker for his pace or lack of it arrived too soon. Had he not slid in, he might have had a chance to put it away. That said, you cannot fault his tireless efforts. 

Subs

Gibbs: 6
Replaced Walcott on the left wing in the 75th minutes. Standard substitution in Wenger's tactics at this stage of the game, but he failed to keep the ball.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Replaced Campbell in the 75th minutes. Some fans questioned this substitution as Campbell was playing a vital role in this team, while the Ox was never good defensively. The fear materialised when Liverpool scored in the death, but Campbell was clearly tired, leaving Wenger with no choice to replace him.

Arteta: 6
Came on in the 87th minute for Özil. This was another controversial substitution among supporters. Wenger's intention seemed to be stabilising Arsenal's possession by fielding an experienced fine distributor of the ball as we kept losing balls in the final 20 minutes. The result left us wondering if Chambers might have been able to help see out a 3-2 victory.

Olympiacos 0 Arsenal 3 (Champions League Group Stage)

Asked if he could see the result coming in the post-match interview, Petr Cech answered that the team could see it, but most of pundits had written us off even before the first whistle was blown mainly because of the injuries to key players, most prominently Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal needed to beat the Greek champions by two clear goals or by any margin with them scoring at least three goals. Olympiacos' impressive stats against English sides did not bode well for us, either. Scoring two goals without reply in one of the most hostile atmospheres in Europe looked a daunting task for the north Londoners. Their proud run of qualification for the knock-out stages since 2000 was in a serious jeopardy. In our part, as fans, what we dreaded most was dropping to the Europa League.

Arsene Wenger made only one change from the side that started in a 3-1 defeat of Sunderland at the Emirates on Saturday. The Frenchman had little choice in the wake of Arsenal's annual injury crisis. Theo Walcott started in place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, after coming off the bench in the 70th minute against Sunderland to return to the pitch for the first time since 27th October. In the absence of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla, who are both set to spend the next 3 to 4 months on the sidelines due to knee ligament damages, Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey continued their partnership in central midfield. Among the bench were David Ospina, Mathieu Debuchy, Gabriel, Kieran Gibbs, Calum Chambers, the Ox and a teenager, Alex Iwobi.

In the pre-match conference, Arsene Wenger talked about their preparations for this game and how his sides had gone through all the possible scenarios ahead of the crunch game. However, the bottom line was simple: score two goals and concede none. The Gunners knew exactly what was required. On the other hand, as Wenger pointed out, it was more complicated for the hosts. We expected the Greek side to sit back and defend as a draw would have been enough for them to go through.

Despite our anticipations, the hosts started the game aggressively. It looked to us that we were heading for a long night, but the visitors slowly settled down and took control of the game. Walcott and Campbell, who started on the right and left wings, respectively, swapping the sides significantly helped the team get into the rhythm. Arsenal took the lead through Olivier Giroud's powerful header in the 29th minute after Flamini's deflected shot had hit the crossbar.

We were quite satisfied, going into half-time with a 1-0 scoreline, despite having to score at least another goal. The Gunners did not rush themselves. As long as they could keep a clean sheet, another goal would arrive eventually. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long after the game had resumed. It was a great build-up. Özil's high pass found Campbell, whose first touch was superb. The Costa Rica international held off his marker and delivered a perfect through-ball into the path of Giroud, after spotting the Frenchman's run. Giroud put it into the right-hand bottom corner with great composure. Now half the job was done.

The Greek side had to come out to score now. However, they had their work cut out when Omar Elabdellaoui was adjudged to have blocked Monreal's shot with his hand. We have to say we were a bit lucky in this decision, but we have had more than a fair share of bad luck in this Champions League campaign, so we happily took it. According to Wenger, Giroud was listed as the first penalty taker (in the absence of Arteta and Cazorla), followed by Theo (second) and Rambo (third). Giroud stepped up and scored from the spot to complete a hat-trick.

It was now Olympiacos that had a mountain to climb. They had to score three goals in the remaining 20 minutes plus stoppage time. It was game up for them and gave us some time to enjoy the game, knowing that we would be in the pot for the round of the last 16 come Monday noon.

It was a thoroughly professional job from the Gunners. They knew exactly what they had to do and executed it very well. On the other hand, Olympiacos looked to be in two minds, unable to make their mind up on whether to push for a win in front of enthusiastic home supporters, or to hold on for a draw. That indecisiveness made their defence vulnerable.

Arsenal are through to the knock-out stage of the Champions League for the 16th season in a row. The fact that the feat was achieved without our talisman Alexis is encouraging, as well as a clean sheet. The committed and efficient team performance this night should become a platform for the rest of the season.

Players ratings

Cech: 8
Made a couple of crucial saves. Wenger has also learnt his lessons. He has never dropped Cech since Ospina's howler against Olympiacos at home.

Bellerin: 7
Made 3 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 clearances. Better defensive performance than in the past weeks.
 

Mertesacker: 7
Made 2 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 5 clearances.
 

Koscielny: 8
Made 2 interceptions and 8 clearances. When his clearance flew over his own crossbar, our hearts stopped, but he had to interfere with the cross. Solid performance.
 

Monreal: 7
Made 2 tackles, 3 interceptions and 5 clearances. 
 

Flamini: 7
Made 2 tackles, 5 interceptions and 3 clearances.
 

Ramsey: 7
Shown an early yellow card for a clumsy challenge when he was caught out of position. On the other hand, he made a clever run on the left flank and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Giroud's first goal.
 

Campbell: 8
Impressive performance at both ends. Made 3 key passes, including a sublime pass for Walcott. Growing in stature every game. Glad to see him step up his game in the absence of Alexis.
 

Özil: 8
Relieved to see him on the pitch after a calf strain, which forced him to miss Tuesday's training. Didn't claim an assist this night, but he was at the heart of creativity. For the first goal, he held off two Olympiacos players and delivered an astute pass in behind defenders for Ramsey. For the second, his incisive pass released Campbell.

Walcott: 7
Lacked match sharpness. Spurned a glorious chance by shooting wide when Campbell was better positioned unmarked. Still good to have him as an attacking option.

Giroud: 9
Excellent performance with commitment (he was on the floor in agony a few minutes before scoring his second goal) and skills. He may not be top-quality striker, but it's great to see him turn up with a big performance when it mattered (and score more than one goal in the same game). Had 4 shots, all of which were on target.

Subs

Gibbs: 6
Replaced Walcott in the 72nd minute. Had 17 touches. Made 1 tackle and 1 interception.

Oxlade-Chamberlian: N/A
Replaced Campbell in the 90th minute. Only had 4 touches.

Chambers: N/A
Came on in stoppage time for Giroud. Only had 2 touches. Made 1 interception.

Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1

Premier League's top two in-form sides met at the Emirates for the second north London derby of the season. While the white half of the north London thought this was their best chance in years to finally overcome their local rivals away from home, the fixture could not have come at worst time for the red half. Prior to the game, we had 10 players on our injury list, which was the second longest in the Premier League after Newcastle (11) according to Physioroom.com. Spuds may have had a day fewer to rest after their last game played (what we call Spursday night football), but it can hardly compare to the exertion of travelling to Munich and playing 90 minutes against one of Europe's best teams.

Arsene Wenger made only one change from the side who started in a 5-1 thrashing by Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. Laurant Koscielny, who sat out the defeat due to a hip problem, was declared fit to play, which meant that Gabriel was dropped to the bench. Both David Ospina and Mikel Arteta came through their first full training after injury on Friday to make the bench. Among substitutes, Alex Iwobi was the only attacking player on the bench, which spoke volumes for our desperate injury situation.

As if Wenger hadn't had enough selection headaches –of a totally different nature to the one he had earlier this season–, there was an early scare about Santi Cazorla's health. The Spanish midfielder took the field, while Mathieu Flamini started warming up from the first whistle. In the post-match interview, Arsene Wenger cited Santi's condition as "dizziness" and "he couldn't move". That was the biggest factor behind our first-half struggle as our two-man midfield was outrun by the visitors' three midfielders. According to Wenger, Santi was at 30% of his potential. If we had had Ramsey in the squad, the Frenchman wouldn't have dreamed about taking a chance on Santi's fitness. In fact, the Spanish magician may have been afforded a rest a couple of games earlier, had our squad not been so stretched. Ramsey's finishing may leave much to be desired, but we sorely missed his work rate. There was no surprise in a wide gap in distances covered by both sides. We only had 9 fit outfield players against their 10 in the first half.

In fact, the hosts started the game better than we anticipated. They had a promising chance early on, but decided not to shoot and wait till other team-mates joined. The Gunners looked dangerous when Özil got on the ball in the final third, but as Wenger said, the German playmaker was often isolated without Santi making a run forward.

Then, the visitors took the lead through Kane's composed finish. It was very disappointing that we made the same mistake twice in four days. This time the culprit was our best defender, Koscielny, who tried to play an off-side trap, or perhaps he was in two minds, with another Tottenham player on the other side as well.

At the start of the second half, Mathieu Flamini replaced Santi. Then, Campbell's powerful shot drew the first meaningful save from Lloris. Giroud hit the crossbar with his header in the 53rd minute. Without pace up front, Arsenal seemed to have resorted to scoring from set-pieces. Özil was the architect of our attack, delivering excellent corners and free-kicks into the Spurs box. At the other end, Cech had to be at his best to stop Alderweireld's header.

In the 73rd minute, Wenger brought in Kieran Gibbs at the expense of Campbell. Normally, the England left-back comes off the bench to shore up the defence to see out a victory, but in this case,Wenger chose him as his "most offensive" player on the bench. And it worked. He stretched Tottenham's defence with his pace and got a very important goal after running into Özil's floating cross. We now had a momentum to get all three points. Giroud volleyed another excellent Özil corner over the bar and forced a save from Lloris, but a winner didn't come.

It was disappointing not to win a north London derby at home, especially when we had a chance to go two points clear at the top of the Premier League after the Manchester City dropped points against the league-bottom Aston Villa earlier on the day. However, given the number of injuries we had, getting over this tough period without losing a game in the league cannot be sniffed at. At least we did not lose any ground to Man City and remained joint top of the league.

We never felt an international break this welcome before. Arsenal are confident of having Bellerin, Ramsey and the Ox back from injury after the break. Santi was already feeling better by the end of the game. Thanks to Joachim Loew's decision to omit him from the Germany squad, Özil will be given a well-deserved breather. Monreal, Mertesacker, and Coquelin will also have a good rest. Unfortunately, Alexis Sanchez was called up for Chile's World Cup qualifiers, expected to play 180 minutes in South America. Let's hope that those who go out with their national teams will come back unscathed. We need to get back to winning ways quickly.

Players ratings

Cech: 7
Made match-saving stops.

Debuchy: 7
His much improved display proved that he is getting up to  speed after a couple of games under his belt. Made 7 tackles and 2 interceptions. According to Wenger, he took the French right-back off with 12 minutes left on the clock because Debuchy was tired (not due to the knock on his knee) after two consecutive starts following a long period with no game time.

Mertesacker: 6
Poor game. His pace is not going to improve, but his positioning should have been better. Made 3 tackles, 1 interception, and 5 clearances. 

Koscielny: 7
He was culpable for the goal, but after the mistake, he kept Kane pretty much quiet. Made 3 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 8 clearances.

Monreal: 7
He shouldn't have left Eric Dier unmarked at far post in Eriksen's free-kick.

Coquelin: 7
Added a bite to our defence. Made 6 tackles and 2 interceptions. 

Cazorla: 5
Withdrawn at half time. This day's poor display may be explained by his illness, but he has not been playing to his full potential for a few games by now, which worries us. Hopefully, he will get rotated when Ramsey comes back. 

Campbell: 7
Decent showing. Unlucky not to score. 

Özil: 8
Man of the Match chosen by Arsenal fans and stats-based Whoscored.com. Tottenham midfielders, Dier and Alli, won praises for their defensive work, but they could not stop Özil without fouling him. Özil was fouled 5 times in this game, suffering more fouls than any other Premier League player this weekend but he still created 7 chances for his team-mates and set up our equaliser for Gibbs with an astute lofted pass. Set a new Premier League record of the most consecutive assists in the same season (Cesc Fabregas made the same number of successive assists for Arsenal and Chelsea, but the feat was spread over two seasons 3 years apart) by making an assist in the 6th game in a row. If Giroud's finishing had been more clinical, the German playmaker could have claimed a few more assists. He was also the first player in Europe's top flights to make double-digit assists this season. He has started delivering on a regular basis, which is a big positive for our title challenge.

Alexis: 6
He was so out-of-touch in this game. We know what he is capable of when he is on form. Hopefully, we can give him a breather after the international break when we get some players back from injury.

Giroud: 6
Missed 3 gilt-edged chances. Had 5 shots, including one that hit the woodwork and one that flew agonisingly close to goal. 

Subs

Flamini: 6
Replaced Cazorla at half time. Was definitely an upgrade on a 30% Santi as we looked better with him in the team. Moved to the right-back position when Debuchy was taken off.

Gibbs: 7
Replaced Campbell in the 73rd minutes and made a huge contribution by scoring an equaliser. 

Arteta: 6
Made a cameo apperance after coming on for Debuchy in the 78th minute. Made 10 passes with an 80% accuracy, no tackle nor interception. Little impact.