Arsenal Action

[ReMad]

1st goal for BARCA. from IBRA.
[url="http://www.d1g.com/video/space/sports/show/?id=3680663"]click here for the video[/url]

[ReMad]

2nd goal for BARCA. and IBRA. min.59
[url="http://www.d1g.com/video/space/sports/show/?id=3680680"]click here for the video[/url]

[ReMad]

1st goal for Arsenal from walcott min.70
[url="http://www.d1g.com/video/space/sports/show/?id=3680691"]click here for the video[/url]

[ReMad]

2nd goal for Arsenal from Fábregas min.85
[url="http://www.d1g.com/video/space/sports/show/?id=3680711"]click here for the video[/url]

[Sp1r0r]

What a match. 1st half we were dominated and Barca should have been 3,4 nil ahead. Instead we rode our luck with some crazy saves from Almunia and went in at 0-0.

When we conceded so early in the 2nd half, I thought it was over and the 2nd goal almost confirmed that. Then on came Walcott and suddenly Barca were holding on for dear lives.

I believe the sending off changed the game cause before that, Barca still had chances. After that, they just played in their own half. I believe that if Fabregas wasnt injured, we might have won the game. He didnt get much of the ball after the penalty.

Almunia 8
Just for the saves in the first half. Mistake for the 1st goal but nothing he could do for the 2nd goal. Good form today.

Sagna 6
Kept the wingers quiet.

Vermaelen 7
Except for the 2 goals we conceded, he played real well.

Gallas 7
Was good before he went off.

Clichy 7
Best attacking outlet down the left. Improved so much in the 2nd half.

Song 8
Great display from him. Real unlucky with some tackles. Did a great job at centreback too.

Fabregas 9
Again it had to be him. He was the one that brought us back into the game by slowing the pace and keeping possession and when he knew he would miss the 2nd leg, he played his heart out. Great penalty too.

Diaby 6
Abit poor compared to his recent form but had some positive contributions.

Arshavin 6
No contribution and went off early.

Nasri 7
Our best attacking outlet in the 1st half. Faded in the 2nd half.

Bendtner 8
Worked hard all night and probably should have at least one goal. Denied a great header by Valdes.

Denilson 6
Poor but at least we maintained our shape and did not let Barca's midfielders to dictate play.

Eboue 7
Good pace down the right and was quite impressed with him.

Walcott 8
Great substitution. Caused problems down the right until he scored. After that Barca held a deeper line. Better deliveries would have resulted in a different result. Still a good game.

2-2 with all to play for. I'm looking for Arshavin to be available and who knows ? a 1-0 perhaps ? Weirder stuff has happened.

[Gunner_X5]

One of the most exciting games I've seen

My ratings:

Almunia 7.5 - Great saves in the first half to keep us in it. Mistake for their first goal, but earlier saves could've easily been goals so almost levels it out.

Sagna 6.5 - solid, was skinned abit too frequently and crosses wernt great

Gallas 7 - played really well until he had to go off

Vermaelen 7 - again played well but pushed up too much trying to block messi out of the game

Clichy 7.5 - poor first half, but turned into a great attacking outlet 2nd half

Song 7 - solid in DM, albeit abit clumsy. Was unlucky to get penalised as much as he did, and could've been tighter for their goals when he went to CB

Diaby 6.5 - gave the ball away too frequently, but did the odd good turn and set theo up well

Cesc - think it is impossible to give him a rating based on performance due to the injury, but he gets a 10 for courage.

Arshavin 5 - didn't track back and seemed ineffectual, stupid booking also

Nasri 8 - was our best attacker until theo came on. Made some good runs and put some good balls in

Nick 6.5 - considering we had no outlet for most of the game he did ok

Eboue 7 - was solid in both positions and made some good runs

Walcott 8 - injected the spark we needed, really chuffed for the lad

Denilson 6.5 - was solid and better than usual, however still showed he is a lightweight for DM imo

[Lalo]

We almost had another F##king embarrasing defeat at home, again this was an arsenal full of absences vs the main aquad of barza, we are a F##king hospital.

We started the game like pussies, mentally weak but at least we didn't lose.

[Gunner_X5]

We almost had another F##king embarrasing defeat at home, again this was an arsenal full of absences vs the main aquad of barza, we are a F##king hospital.

We started the game like pussies, mentally weak but at least we didn't lose.

Technically our only injuries were RvP and djourou, and possibly vela.
But Gallas, Shava and cesc were not fit before the game and certainly are not now.

[Curt.B]

Arshavin must be completely devasted. this is the sort of match a guy like him lives for. I really hope he is okay for the second leg becuase he plays with such a heart-on-sleeve attitude that he deserves to enjoy that moment.

[The Fabster]

Arshavin must be completely devasted. this is the sort of match a guy like him lives for. I really hope he is okay for the second leg becuase he plays with such a heart-on-sleeve attitude that he deserves to enjoy that moment.

Agree, it's for these sort of games that he joined us.
Also, Cesc will now not get a chance to play in the stadium that he's dreamed of playing in since he's been a kid. Gutted for him, he deserves it but in all honesty, I could not care less if Cesc never plays in the Nou Camp. On another note, the Emirates is a beauty at night.

Almunia - 7 - Fucked up for the goal but he did keep us in the game with some fantastic saves
Sagna - 6 - Average. In these tighter games I think Eboue is a better option.
Gallas - 6 - Not much to do. Did what he had to alright.
Vermaelen - 6 - Good getting forward, but he's a defender. Did alright, not one of his better games.
Clichy - 7.5 - Good defensively, dealt with Alves and the like well and was a fantastic attacking threat from the left in the second half.
Song - 8 - Fantastic. Kept Messi quiet whilst playing in DM, formed a solid partnership with Verma at CB and showed great spirit.
Cesc - 7 - You could tell he was not at full fitness but still had a good game, gave it his all and once again made the difference.
Diaby - 6 - Poor, poor, poor in the first half but then again, most of the team were as well. Grew into the game in the second half. Should've kept his hair I reckon. Think people maybe overlook the defensive work he does.
Arshavin - 6.5 - Did not have much to do, but got back fantastically at one point. I think he would have made the difference had he stayed on.
Bendtner - 6 - Not at his best and his best is not amazing at his. Should've done better with a header and missed a sitter, even if it was offside. Like Diaby, grew into the game and I suppose he did have two assists. Not his worst performance.
Nasri - 8 - Excellent. Faded a teeny bit towards the end, but still good.

Subs:
Eboue - 7.5 - Very good, mature performance. Still got a bit of theatrics in him I think. Much better at RB than RW.
Walcott - 8 - Made the difference. But his end product is still inconsistent. I do wonder how much of a difference he would have made had he played the first half. He seems much better in an open game, coming off the bench. When we went two down and our players realised they had nothing to lose and went for it, it opened up the game and in those situations, Walcott excels.
Denilson - 7 - Worked hard, did his job well. One of his better performances.