- Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring for the home side on the stroke of half-time; his first goal in Arsenal colours
- The hosts had to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men after Mathieu Debuchy was sent off for a second booking
- The Gunners will go into the hat for the group stages of the Champions League for the 17th successive season
Arsene Wenger puffed out his cheeks and strode purposefully down the tunnel. He knew he had been in a game.
So
did his players. Alexis Sanchez, the matchwinner and hero of the night,
and Santi Cazorla, a tireless worker in midfield, were walking
gingerly, hobbling even. They had completed 90 minutes but it had taken
its toll. This will have made happy viewing in the households of Nigel
Pearson and his Leicester City players, Arsenal’s opponents on Sunday.
It
was tight. Tighter than it has been for many years. Too tight for
comfort, by the end. Arsenal tend to stroll through this little
technicality in their Champions League programme, the qualification
phase. Not on Wednesday night.
They were a
goal ahead shortly before half-time but it afforded a false sense of
security. Having failed to score in Istanbul, their single goal did not
alter the requirement for Besiktas. An equaliser would still do it and
as they went in search of one, so Arsenal’s certainty faded.
By
the time the home side were reduced to 10 men with 15 minutes to go, it
is fair to say panic was spreading, certainly in the stands. Arsenal
are a better team than Besiktas, but they were terrifyingly vulnerable
to a single aberration, a slack moment of marking or a freak, deflected
equaliser. Well outside their comfort zone, the fans bawled and screamed
their frustration.
To
be fair, the anger over Mathieu Debuchy’s dismissal was misplaced. He
was rightly booked in the first half for choosing to meet Olcay Sahan
with his shoulder, rather than challenging fairly in the air, and taking
a yellow card into the second half his clumsy manhandling of Mustafa
Pektemek was always going to invite trouble. Referee Pedro Proenca, from
Portugal, showed a red and the Emirates erupted, but it was more out of
fear than justified indignation.
Calum
Chambers was then booked for coming on to the field prematurely as
Wenger sought to reshuffle the team, and may have a greater beef, but as
Besiktas had been denied a very plausible first-half penalty, it is
fair to say Arsenal got the best of any incompetence.
It
would have been a strange penalty, but no less warranted for that. Jack
Wilshere, who was exceptional bar this moment of madness and a miss
after nine minutes that could have put Arsenal in early command, made a
desperate lunge from behind in an attempt to stop Ramon Motta.
It
was hard to identify specific contact at first, save for the
coincidence of both men falling within a split second of each other, but
replays showed that in going to ground Wilshere’s hand had clipped
Motta’s foot and perhaps sent him tumbling. Certainly, the
circumstantial evidence would have convinced more than a few referees;
and they would have been right.
Nevertheless, Arsenal had the better of the chances on the night and would have felt hard done by had Besiktas progressed.
Even
in a fraught second half, the best of it belonged to Arsenal and
Sanchez in particular will be kicking himself for a miss in the 53rd
minute which should have put the result beyond doubt. Debuchy also found
the side-netting with a far-post header, Cazorla had an excellent
chance blocked and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could have done better from
close range.
Against
that, Besiktas will feel they had their moments, not least when Mathieu
Flamini made a hash of a pretty straightforward defensive clearance,
allowing Demba Ba to seize the ball but plant it wide of Wojciech
Szczesny’s goal.
In
the final minute of normal time Ba could not get his head to a cross at
the far post, having lost his marker. Had that gone in, there would
have been no way back for Arsenal.
Instead,
they are in Thursday afternoon’s draw for the Champions League proper,
continuing a run of 17 straight campaigns. And, thanks to a warped
seeding system, in Pot A, just like the biggest clubs in Europe, those
that win domestic leagues and continental titles. It’s nice to be one of
UEFA’s chosen few.
The
result was the best news of the night, obviously. For Wenger, second
best was the identity of Arsenal’s goalscorer — Sanchez, the man tasked
with pretending to be a striker for the months when Olivier Giroud is
absent with his broken foot. He isn’t a natural in the position by any
means, maybe not even the solution if Wenger’s resolve wavers before the
transfer deadline closes on Monday, but his first goal for the club was
a vital one and that can only build confidence.
Sanchez’s
display in a forward role at Everton last Saturday was unconvincing and
his appearance as a lone striker here was seen as something of a
gamble, but he got the last word. It was quite a test for him, after
all.
The
final qualification tie for the Champions League is no proving ground,
with so much at stake and away goals counting double. Suppose Arsenal
required two, or even three on the night? With Giroud injured and the
prolific Aaron Ramsey suspended there was a lot of weight on Sanchez’s
shoulders.
To
his credit, he rose to the occasion. He didn’t have much of a first
half, and certainly didn’t apply the pressure in the area that Giroud
would, but when a chance presented itself he snatched at it, and in a
good way. Moments earlier he had overrun a pass from Wilshere to
widespread groans, so it is to Sanchez’s credit that he was instantly
prepared to assume responsibility in front of goal again.
His moment
came in the final minute of the half, after a headed clearance had found
its way to Wilshere. He played a nice one-two with Mesut Ozil and
looked to be shaping to shoot from the return pass.
Letting
the ball run, however, took it into the path of Sanchez who decided to
eschew politeness and have a go, first time. Jackpot. Sanchez struck his
shot low and goalkeeper Tolga Zengin could not get down quickly enough.
Ultimately, it was all Arsenal required. For the 17th season in
succession a delegation from the club will arrive in Monaco for the
Champions League draw.
It
was 1997-98 when balls were last placed in UEFA’s many pots without one
containing Arsenal’s name. Princess Diana was still alive and a chap
called Steve Jobs had just resumed working at Apple. Considering events
at Milton Keynes on Tuesday night and how quickly a football club’s
fortunes can change, Arsenal have every reason to be proud of that
record. They might even allow themselves a little pat on the back and
call it business as usual.
What
they cannot say this time, however is that it was never in doubt. That
little puff of the cheeks suggests Wenger knows it, too.
