Marseille 0 Arsenal 1:FOR ARSENE Wenger any result against Marseille will always taste that little bit sweeter and when it comes courtesy of an injury-time winner, the emotion can only be intensified. The Arsenal manager will always harbour ill feeling towards the French club for the corrupt practices in the 1990s which he felt undermined his Monaco team, but last night he could reflect with plenty of satisfaction upon a stoically accomplished job.
The victory gained was not pretty, but there was plenty to admire about Arsenal’s resilience, which was epitomised by the man-of-the-match Laurent Koscielny and, having drawn the sting from what had looked an intimidating occasion, they grabbed the glory at the very death, after all of their substitutes combined to devastating effect.
Johan Djourou slung over a cross from the right, Gervinho touched it on and there was Aaron Ramsey, in yards of space, to drill low and unerringly into the near corner of the net. Wenger had demanded four points from the two ties against Marseille. Ahead of the return at the Emirates in two weeks’ time, he is emphatically ahead of schedule.
Arsenal have not gained renown on their European travels in recent times. Despite Marseille’s domestic toils and the intense pressure on their manager Didier Deschamps, there was a feeling that this tie represented their toughest assignment in the group.
Marseille’s attacking options make them a threat at any time. Wenger had compared Loic Remy to a “young Thierry Henry”, and the pace and technique of Andre Ayew and Mathieu Valbuena in wide areas was a feature of the evening. Arsenal’s concentration levels needed to be high.
The strength of Wenger’s starting line-up reflected his determination to emerge with a positive result. The only mild surprise was his preference of Tomas Rosicky to Aaron Ramsey in midfield.
It had been cagey at the outset, with Arsenal pock-marking their play with nervous errors. Alex Song turned into trouble and had to bring down Remy, for which he was booked.
The first-half featured three handball controversies, with Marseille feeling the burning sense of injustice first. Jeremy Morel’s cross from the left appeared to strike Carl Jenkinson’s arm and although unintentional, the home team’s pleas for a penalty may have had reward. Ayew’s protests were so vociferous that he was booked.
Arsenal’s penalty claim was only visible after TV replays and at the time they were more aggrieved that Robin van Persie’s looping header following Mikel Arteta’s corner had been cleared off the line by Alou Diarra. Upon closer examination it was clear that the defender Souleymane Diawara’s hand had pawed at Arteta’s delivery.
Andre Santos made up the hat-trick of first-half bookings for a check on Valbuena. Arsenal’s Brazilian left-back later went for a header and missed it but with an arm outstretched, he handled. He was fortunate indeed that the referee did not deem it worthy of a second yellow card.
Wenger seemed happy to contain in the first half. There was little incision or tempo from his players, despite Van Persie’s inventive movement off the ball. Arsenal were grateful to Koscielny for a perfectly timed tackle on Remy and Lucho Gonzalez then missed the clearest chance of the half when he touched wide from Valbuena’s cross.
It was stodgy fare, with Arsenal struggling to get much out of Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin. The onus was on Marseille to prise them apart but they, too, seemed happier to counter-attack.
Arsenal lost Jenkinson on the hour after he damaged his right knee in making a routine clearance. Wenger’s headache at right-back deepened. Already without Bacary Sagna duen to a long-term break, Jenkinson is his only other specialist in the position.
Arsenal created openings as the game wore on. From Rosicky’s pass on 64 minutes, Walcott got the better of Nicolas N’Koulou, who was guilty of a slip and the winger wriggled through on goal. Steve Mandanda, though, narrowed the angle to block. The Marseille goalkeeper had to repeat the trick to deny Van Persie soon after but he was powerless and exposed when Ramsey struck.
OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE: Mandanda, Azpilicueta, Diawara, N’Koulou, Morel, Diarra, Gonzalez (Amalfitano 73), Cheyrou (Kabore 87), Valbuena, Remy (Gignac 69), Andre Ayew. Subs not used: Bracigliano, Traore, Sabo, Roland. Booked: Andre Ayew, Diawara, Gignac.
ARSENAL: Szczesny, Jenkinson (Djourou 62), Mertesacker, Koscielny, Andre Santos, Song, Arteta, Walcott (Gervinho 67), Rosicky, Arshavin (Ramsey 78), van Persie. Subs not used: Fabianski, Chamakh, Benayoun, Coquelin. Booked: Song, Andre Santos, Djourou.
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia).
