Arsenal fail to put the icing on the cake

Somewhere amid the frustration of undeservedly relinquishing a lead in stoppage time, Arsene Wenger should today find comfort in the fact that even across the English Channel there is a burgeoning belief Arsenal are be ready to realise their potential.

Although the concession of two points against palpably inferior opposition raises some concern over their ability to close out matches, it could be argued the more prevalent point was that AZ Alkmaar were quite simply terrified of their opponents from the outset.

Ronald Koeman was in the stands to watch Arsenal's 6-2 demolition of Blackburn Rovers earlier this month and the freeflowing football on show that day sufficiently moved him to send his players into this encounter with a markedly negative approach.

The prospect of facing a side that have scored 40 goals and registered seven straight victories with a fully functional 4-3-3 system will do that to you. Aside from the cigarette smoke swirling through the DSB Stadium as home fans took advantage of designated areas inside the stadium, AZ proved ideal hosts for a visiting side looking to secure qualification from Group H in double-quick time.

Koeman shied away from little in his playing days but there was no Dutch courage on display here from the outset as his team were so keen not to give the ball away they refused to take the risks needed to unsettle the Gunners.

The Dutchman stressed the importance of maintaining possession and his players took him far too literally as they kept the ball in their own half and committed few players forward in case they were caught on the break.

With Arsenal content to sit back and wait to pick AZ off, the first-half quickly became a stalemate and the home side's indifference towards any attacking endeavour cost them parity after 36 minutes.

Niklas Moisander dallied on the ball, gifting possession to Andrey Arshavin and suddenly the Gunners had three-on-two 40 yards from goal.

Arshavin played the ball wide to Robin van Persie, who in turn shifted a simple square pass for Cesc Fabregas to sidefoot home his fifth goal of the season and his first in Europe.

It was only with the 73rd minute introduction of substitute Graziano Pelle that the home side began to exert any real pressure and just their second shot on goal brought a thoroughly fortuitous equaliser from David Mendes da Silva deep into stoppage time.

"You know that in the last five minutes of a Champions League match, anything can happen," said Wenger.

"They have thrown everything forward and felt they could only score on a set-piece, and that is what happened.

"We were largely in control, but as long as you are not two goals in front, that is the problem. We feel frustrated because we felt we were superior to this team."

The principal cause for alarm is that Arsenal failed to make their superiority tell. This was not a match of countless missed opportunities but the gulf in class in the respective attacking thirds was, frankly, embarrassing.

Arsenal's forward line did not have its most impressive outing by any means but there was more than enough on show to put the game to bed and it is a trait that has been in evidence despite the team's fine recent form.

The Gunners took 78 minutes to see off Olympiakos in their last Champions League outing, twice fell behind to Blackburn and also threatened to allow Birmingham back into a match they had dominated. On each occasion the team came through but this time, be it a lack of concentration or a touch of casual arrogance, it cost them.

Wenger, 60 tomorrow, said: "We are still learning. You do not need to give free-kicks away for offside in the last minute. We were a bit naive and left Da Silva free."

However, if there is ever a time to suffer such a lapse, it is in a Champions League match in which control of the group has not been surrendered and seven points from three matches presents a virtual penalty kick for qualification with favourable fixtures to come. "We are still in a strong position," said Wenger. "We have three games left, two at home, and I believe to win one game will qualify us.

"What I want is for us to continue to play like we do, focus to play better. In football, you have to produce the maximum result with your game, and last night that did not happen."

Perhaps Koeman's approach was in part due to the club's dire financial state as his team lined up with sponsorless shirts after the collapse of main backers DSB Bank earlier this week.

He said: "The situation is difficult. You read more things about what is happening outside of football. However, the team concentrated well."

The same could not be said of Arsenal but Wenger heads into both his 61st year and tomorrow's club AGM with his team's growing reputation as genuine challengers intact.

After all, the best sides instill a fear prior to their arrival that gives them an edge before they even take to the pitch.

And as if to underline the point, AZ's players greeted this lucky draw at home with a lap of honour.