Missed chances cost Gunners

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The Gunners - looking to bounce back from the 4-0 FA Cup thrashing at Manchester United on Saturday - more than matched their Serie A opponents, with World Player of the Year Kaka having only a limited impact.

Manager Arsene Wenger had labelled Wednesday night's encounter the "ultimate test" of his young side, who lead the Barclays Premier League by five points.

However, their performance, while spirited, lacked a real cutting edge in front of goal as Arsenal could not make the most of their dominance, particularly at the start of the second half - with in-form striker Emmanuel Adebayor seeing his stoppage-time header come back off the crossbar.

Nevertheless, the 2006 Champions League finalists remain very much alive heading into the return leg in Italy in a fortnight's time, when the young Gunners will indeed have to produce their performance of the season to advance.

Arsenal were forced into an early change when Kolo Toure was struck in the back of the thigh by Pato's fierce strike. The Ivory Coast centre-half had to be replaced by Philippe Senderos.

The Gunners, though, did not look to sit back, and mounted a quick counter attack from a long throw by Jens Lehmann, which picked out Adebayor. The gangly Togo frontman skipped clear of the defence, only to see his path to goal blocked by a saving tackle from Massimo Oddo.

Cesc Fabregas then clipped a lovely ball forwards into the path of Adebayor, who got just far enough ahead of marker Kakha Kaladze, but could not keep his 18-yard effort down.

Arsenal maintained the pressure at the start of the second half, forcing a couple of corners, and the Gunners should have been ahead after 53 minutes, when Emmanuel Eboue scuffed a shot into the ground and the ball bobbled wide of the far post.

Adebayor had a goal ruled out for offside and then, deep into stoppage time, the striker saw his close-range header come back off the crossbar from Theo Walcott's cross as the tie remained delicately poised heading into the return leg at the San Siro.