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Jack Wilshere strikes twice to ease Arsenal to victory over Marseille Jack Wilshere scores twice to ease Arsenal to victory over Marseille
(about 2 hours later)
Once again, Arsenal's place in the draw for the Champions League knockout stages feels like an annual part of the fixture calendar. They won this game with something to spare and there is surely too much confidence rippling through this side to believe they will fritter it all away now. Arsène Wenger's team will have made it 14 years in a row if they can avoid a three-goal defeat in their final match against Napoli.Once again, Arsenal's place in the draw for the Champions League knockout stages feels like an annual part of the fixture calendar. They won this game with something to spare and there is surely too much confidence rippling through this side to believe they will fritter it all away now. Arsène Wenger's team will have made it 14 years in a row if they can avoid a three-goal defeat in their final match against Napoli.
A trip to the whistling, fire-cracking Stadio San Paolo is always a test of nerve but Wenger's men have already outplayed the Italians once. The Premier League leaders did what many people thought was beyond them in their last European excursion, at the home of Borussia Dortmund, and they made light work of overcoming Marseille on a night when the one-sidedness was not truly reflected by their inability to add to Jack Wilshere's two goals. A trip to the whistling, fire-cracking Stadio San Paolo is always a test of nerve but Wenger's men have already outplayed the Italians once. The Premier League leaders did what many people thought was beyond them in their last European excursion, at the home of Borussia Dortmund, and they made light work of overcoming Marseille on a night when the one-sidedness was not reflected by their inability to add to Jack Wilshere's two goals.
The first arrived after 33 seconds and Wilshere made the game safe midway through the first half. In between, Mesut Özil's penalty was saved by the Marseille goalkeeper, Steve Mandanda, and Arsenal racked up more chances than they would probably want to remember. Wilshere now has four goals in his last eight Arsenal appearances and Aaron Ramsey continues to show his maturing as a player. The first arrived after 33 seconds, the quickest goal scored by an Englishman in the Champions League, and Wilshere made the game safe midway through the second half. In between, Mesut Özil's penalty was saved and Arsenal racked up more chances than they would probably want to remember. Wilshere now has four goals in his last eight Arsenal appearances while Aaron Ramsey continues to show he is maturing as a player. They will go to Naples in high confidence, knowing a draw would guarantee winning the group and potentially mean avoiding Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the next stage. With 12 points already, Wenger described it as "unbelievable" they had not already qualified.
Marseille were obliging opponents. The fourth-placed team in Ligue 1 had lost all their previous fixtures in Group F. Their manager, Elie Baup, had used this occasion to experiment with his team. Mathieu Valbuena, their most incisive player, was among those left out of the starting line-up and it quickly became apparent Arsenal, with the far greater motivation, could get behind the opposition defence with great frequency. "It is the first time I have seen that in over 150 Champions League games. But it is a reality and we have to finish the job," he said. "It is not an easy situation. It is tricky because you could think: 'OK, we just don't lose big.' That would be a mistake. We need to put it into our heads to play in a positive way and try to win the game. Everything else would be a dangerous gamble."
Wilshere was playing as a left-footed right-winger, coming in off the flank, and though it is not his orthodox position he will have enjoyed the space the left-back, Jeremy Morel, afforded him. Morel had completely lost his man when Bacary Sagna's first touch of the night sent Wilshere running clear. Darting into the penalty area, Wilshere turned inside the next opponent, Lucas Mendes, and there was great sophistication attached to what happened next. One touch steadied himself, the next clipped a lovely, curling shot into the top right-hand corner. Of the win, the Arsenal manager added: "We were in control and never really under threat. Maybe we missed the cutting edge to finish the game off early, but we felt so much in control that we just played on thinking the second goal will come. It came a bit late for my taste, but it came."
If Arsenal had been more ruthless – and not just with the squandered penalty – Marseille's night would have degenerated into a damage-limitation exercise before half-time. First, Ramsey could not convert Wilshere's perfectly measured pass inside the six-yard area, and the type of chance he has been happily accepting all season. Ramsey then flicked a clever up-and-under over the Marseille defence and there was a shudder of disbelief as Özil, of all people, was let down by his first touch. Marseille were certainly obliging opponents. The fourth-placed team in Ligue 1 had lost all five games in Group F and did not manage a shot on target until the 76th minute. Their manager, Elie Baup, had used this occasion to rest his better players and they could have been on the end of a thrashing had Arsenal been more ruthless. Ramsey, inside the six-yard area, could not take the kind of chance he has been happily finishing off all season and Özil, of all people, was let down by his first touch when the Welshman flicked a clever up-and-under over the visiting defence. That, to put it into context, was all inside the opening 18 minutes.
There was one brief flutter of anxiety when Wojciech Szczesny saved at André-Pierre Gignac's feet, but Marseille had carried themselves with little ambition and it must have been perplexing for Wenger that his team had not managed to inflict more damage before the interval. Özil looked a little disconsolate when he was substituted late on, though he did set up Wilshere's second with a lovely pass off the outside of his left boot. Wilshere had started as a left-footed right-winger, coming in off the flank, but he and Özil both had the licence to roam. Tomas Rosicky was not tied down to one spot either and, with Ramsey breaking forward as well as Olivier Giroud's considerable presence, Marseille were overwhelmed from the moment Bacary Sagna's first touch of the night sent Wilshere running clear. Darting into the penalty area, Wilshere turned inside the next opponent, Lucas Mendes. One touch steadied himself, the next clipped a lovely, curling shot into the top right-hand corner.
The Spanish referee, Antonio Lahoz, had already missed a pretty obvious penalty decision, Mendes yanking Oliver Giroud to the floor, by the time he penalised Nicolas N'Koulou's challenge on Ramsey. The contact had actually been marginally outside the penalty area, not that Marseille seemed particularly aggrieved. Yet Özil never looked fully confident. The deception of stuttering his run did not work and Mandanda dived to his right to turn the ball away. The Spanish referee, Antonio Lahoz, had already missed a pretty obvious penalty decision, Mendes yanking Giroud to the floor, by the time he penalised Nicolas N'Koulou's challenge on Ramsey. The contact had actually been marginally outside the penalty area, not that Marseille seemed particularly aggrieved. Yet Özil never looked fully confident. The deception of stuttering his run did not work and Steve Mandanda dived to his right to turn the ball away.
Against a superior team, this would have brought a sense of foreboding to this stadium not too long ago. Arsenal simply set about re-asserting their authority after the break, on top to the point of being comfortable but still needing that second goal to make sure their opponents did not start sensing their luck might be in. Against a superior team, the miss might have brought a sense of foreboding to this stadium. Arsenal simply set about re-asserting their authority after the break. At times, their crossing was disappointing, with Sagna and Rosicky both putting the ball straight out of play in a matter of minutes. Marseille were so ordinary the home side could get away with these kind of little imperfections before, finally, everyone could relax. Arsenal, applying near-incessant pressure, advanced again. Ramsey played the through-ball to Özil and, running into the penalty area, it was a deft little pass to pick out Wilshere, surging through the middle to continue his improved run of scoring.
Özil spent more of the second half on the right, with Wilshere switching to the left and Tomas Rosicky moving infield. Yet the three of them always had the licence to roam. At times, their crossing was disappointing, with Sagna and Rosicky both putting the ball straight out of play in a matter of minutes. They could get away with these kind of little imperfections when the opposition offered the clear sense they were just passing by. All the same, it was a risky game.
A Giroud shot deflected off Kassim Abdallah and almost sneaked inside the near post. Özil poked a shot goalwards. Mandanda saved again and for the first time the crowd started to sound anxious.
Then the moment when everyone could relax. Baup had brought on Valbuena and Florian Thauvin but it did little to lift Marseille out of the mundane. Arsenal, applying near-incessant pressure, advanced again. Ramsey played the through ball to Özil and, running into the penalty area, it was a deft little pass off the outside of his left boot to pick out Wilshere, surging through the middle to sweep in the goal.
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