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Celtic 0-2 Arsenal
While Arsenal's rediscovery of their attacking endeavour has been cited as the source of their present renaissance, arguably the most striking aspect of their victory at Celtic Park was the defensive stability that has coincided with Thomas Vermaelen's arrival.
Although there are sterner tests of the Gunners' new found resilience to come, the authoritative manner of last night's performance was built upon an organised and disciplined rearguard.
In the build-up to this match, Arsene Wenger rightly identified Arsenal's inability to keep clean sheets as the principal cause of last season's problems but the £10million arrival from Ajax promises to plug many holes in that formerly colander-like defence.
The 23-year-old is quickly becoming a domineering presence in the mould of Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic, despite standing at only 6ft tall and his impact has been much more immediate than the Serbian, who took more than six months to establish himself at Old Trafford.
While he made several key interventions last night, the Belgian centre-back also offers a threat going forward in open play and produced several marauding runs in Arsenal's 2-0 win in Scotland that were reminiscent of Sol Campbell in his pomp at Highbury.
We encourage all our players to go forward, said Wenger, quoting yet again that verse from his free-flowing football philosophy.
I am surprised how quickly he has settled in. But he had a very long preparation and we saw he had the physical strength and the mentality to cope with it.
I believe he has a good mixture of physical and technical ability and it's interesting to have a left-footed player because it gives you angles for the pass that are very important to the
midfielders.
So, Vermaelen's presence also brings an additional balance to the team that it lacked when Wenger first experimented with this system away in Europe last season.
Alex Song had an excellent match protecting the rearguard while Cesc Fabregas pulled the strings in midfield and Andrey Arshavin, playing in his first Champions League match for the club, provided invention and poise from the left.
For all the talk of the feverish atmosphere at Celtic Park and it was awe-inspiring at times the most relevant sound increasingly became the sharp intake of breath from 58,000 people each time Arsenal imposed their stylish will on proceedings.
Celtic's poor distribution out of defence frequently put them under pressure.
Either it was a lack of composure at the back or the midfield were too frightened to offer themselves as an option for fear of recrimination but in any event their limitations were exposed with far greater clarity than the
scoreline suggests.
The irony was that the moments which decided the evening and surely the tie were somewhat fortuitous and decidedly lacking in terms of
spectacle.
The goals came when first Fabregas fired a 43rd-minute free-kick which struck the onrushing William Gallas and diverted past a helpless Artur Boruc in the Celtic goal before Gael Clichy's 71st minute cross was diverted into the net by Gary Caldwell.
I believe we have a fantastic attitude, a great togetherness and we put relentless pressure on Celtic, said Wenger.
We never let them establish a flow and we always disturbed their game very well.
I think there were some bad fouls. The referee took some time to intervene but afterwards he did it.
I can understand that from Celtic's point of view but what is more interesting for me is how we respond to that and I believe we did that well.
Celtic's problem was principally that they were asked to play at a tempo that is rarely required in the Scottish Premier League and that compromised their ability on the ball.
Tony Mowbray placed his faith in pairing Aiden McGeady with striker Georgios Samaras in the hope of unleashing the promise the Greek powerhouse showed in his days at Heerenveen, but what he got was the £6m Manchester City flop whose touch was laboured and cumbersome as the home side never really got going.
The bottom line is that on the night was we weren't good enough on the ball, said Mowbray. It's a big ask for us now but the secret is to go down there and try to score the first goal.
Wenger was left to preach that the second leg still represents something of an obstacle but the reality is that he probably now has the option to rest one or two players for the trip to Manchester United, which comes three days after next Wednesday's second leg.
Presumably as a kind gesture to help ease the congestion in and around Glasgow created by this match and U2's concert at Hampden, a sizeable number of home supporters filtered out of the ground in the final 15 minutes.
And to parody a line from Bono and the band, in terms of a defensive lynchpin, Wenger may have found what he has been looking for.
Reader views (11)
As a Celtic fan, I was disappointed to see my team beaten. However, I enjoyed the play of Arsenal and so cannot complain about the result. Well done the Gunners!
I hope that the Arsenal fans enjoyed their visit to Glasgow. I certainly enjoyed their chants: "Is there a fire drill?", as the dejected Celtic fans made for the exits; and earlier, "We should have gone to U2" [concert at Hampden park on the same evening].
Sectarian chants? I didn't hear any from my seat in the south stand. I did hear the chants of "Argentina!", and was perplexed by the same. May have been in response to the "Rule Britannia" chorus from the Gooners?
I still expect the return to be a good game. The tie is slipping away from Celtic, but it's not over yet. Expect Celtic to score at the Emirates!
- Jim Clarke, Blanefield, Stirlingshire
Goonerbeal...Shankley,Busby and Ferguson...stopped London having any real football Success,probably why your huffy. Arsenal are good but MAN U and the Pool will do you again...Not good enough.
Fans...Dont think English fans can lecture anybody on behaviour...5 year ban the last time was it not.
Rangers supporters. Perhaps a comment from the police in Manchester might be appropriate here.Maybe a constructive supportive comment from a non bigot rangers supporter would be welcomed.
Quite simply the whole issue comes down to tv revenue.
Celtic and Rangers are both bigger clubs than arsenal,and most other premiership teams, with a much bigger fan base but unfortunately do not get a share of the big sky tv money pot.
Interesting to note that the only Englishman on the park was playng for Celtic.
Mon the hoops for the Europa cup and good luck to the Gers as Scotlands representatives in the Champions league.
To the English FA let us in...Sky will force you some day as it gets boring when only 2 teams can win the league.
- Glaswegian, Tarragona Spain
I was at the match last night and have to disagree with some of the comments. I thought the atmosphere was the best I've ever experienced (including Istanbul and our beloved Emirates)anywhere. Yes, there were a few diststeful chants but not all our chants were complimentary either so it cuts both ways. as far as I could see this is banter you would get at any football match (excluding IRA chants).Rafa of Kirkintilloch is obviously a Rangers fan who conveniently forgets the chants at Ibrox which celebrate millions of deaths in the Irish Famine of the mid 1800's and have been well publicised down here - sounds as if there is not much to pick and choose between the Old Firm fans in that respect.
Many Celtic fans remained behind to applaud the Arsenal players and many came up to us at the station to shake our hands.
Overall I left Glasgow with a great impression of the city and the superb atmosphere at the match and look forward to welcoming the Celtic fans to the Emirates next week.
- Jess, London,England
To the comments of Big Rab - remember Manchster, Barcelona, Villareal, Osasuna etc - all trips taken by rangers fans and ask these cities if they would welcome back rangers with open arms. Re Rafa's comments I am assuming that the support for the UDA/UVF by rangers fans is all ok ? These groups murdered people whose major 'crime' is being a catholic. There are clowns on both sides but any criticism of celtic fans by rangers fans (scotlands shame)is very rich.
- Dave, London
Trevor from Essex is absolutely correct. They are a 'very strange bunch of people' and I am not surprised why he would be put off visiting our country again. The chants of IRA is something that unfortunately other decent fans of Scottish clubs have to hear week and week out from these morons. They will probably read these comments (if they can read that is ) and actually feel proud.
- Scott, Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
If Arshavin had a bottle thrown at him, and it was spotted by the UEFA observer, Celtic will yet again be under the spotlight for fan misbehaviour on European nights. UEFA fined them in 2007 for throwing bottles in the San Siro against AC Milan. Then a Celtic fan ran onto the pitch and made towards Dida of AC Milan in another Euro game later in the same year leading to another fine. They've already played European football behind closed doors after fans attacked Rapid Vienna players years ago. In domestic games, they have attacked a referee with coins leading to him receiving stitches and had a number of pitch incursions over the years - one famous one being when their future manager Gordon Strachan was attacked at Parkhead while playing for Aberdeen. When will UEFA take some serious sanctions against this behaviour if true?
- Rob, Welwyn, UK
Trevor, Most sensible people in Scotland also despair at the antics of the morons you described. Please don't use this experience as a basis for your opinion on Scotland and Scottish people in general.Good luck in the second leg
- Andy, Glasgow
It was an encounter that was physically taxing to the Arsenal boys because of the amount of fouls they had to endure. That said, we have to appreciate that Celtics were not dirty but playing their usual Scottish football.
I have seen Celtics playing before but I was still not sure of what kind of football they played until yesterday.
The experience was underwhelming and on reflection I can see where English Football went wrong with so many Scottish managers plying their trade in English clubs. How else could mighty England have spent the last 40 years winning nothing. Tell FA to help clubs to expunge the damaging influence of the past and start recruiting new trainee managers of the future. Then have Wenger, Capello and Hiddink lecturing these rookie managers.
- Goonerbeall, London, UK
Please don't let these people put you off any return trip to Glasgow, because there is another team in Glasgow who's supporters DO NOT celebrate the deaths of our brave servicemen who are asked to go to these war torn countries. The Rangers and their supporters regularly have our Hero's at Ibrox to show our support.
- Rafa,, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow.
Trevor
this was the lowlife dreggs of scotland last night you visited who glorify terrorism openley and the club allow it . you hard and seen the Rangers fans at the Emirates acouple of weeks ago. Comlete day and night My friend . hope the english media are on to uefa because the Cowardly media in Scotland hide the fact about scotlands shame
- Big Rab P, Essex
Was at the game last night. Was disgusting behaviour from the Celtic support. Racism & sectarianism in abundance and Arshavin got hit with a bottle. Cries of "Argentina, Argentina" in reference to the Falklands conflict rained down from the stands and not t, mention shouts of "up the IRA". A very strange bunch of people. I wont be going back to Scotland again anytime soon.
- Trevor, Essex, England
