Gunners Go Through After Early Scare

To the considerable relief of Arsene Wenger, his players and all the home fans, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 to secure a 5-1 aggregate victory, the satisfaction of their first win at the glorious Emirates Stadium and a vital spot in the main Champions League draw in Monaco.

But it was by no means a formality. Arsenal’s predominantly young side started shakily, particularly at the back, where Djourou especially seemed uncharacteristically insecure and Almunia was slow to get down to Eduardo’s low shot which gave the visitors a shock 12th minute lead.

While the Gunners enjoyed most of the possession, it nevertheless took them until the second half to recover properly from their early defensive stability and though good work from Hleb and Van Persie (both of whom were outstanding) ensured that chances were created, Adebayor in particular seemed destined to spurn them.

Reluctantly perhaps, Arsene Wenger was obliged to introduce Gilberto, Henry and later Theo Walcott to help Arsenal turn the game. Acting captain Freddie Ljungberg grabbed the equaliser with a diving header in the 77th minute and late on a superb low cross from Walcott gave Mathieu Flamini the winner from close range – the second time Theo has come off the bench to set up a goal.