Arsenal win lights up Wenger anniversary
Print Edition
Arsenal did not let down Arsene Wenger on what was his 17th anniversary as manager on Tuesday, easing to a 2-0 win over Napoli and taking a huge step towards the Champions League knockout stages.
First-half goals by record signing Mesut Ozil and in-form Frenchman Olivier Giroud, his sixth this season and coming a day after his 27th birthday, gave the Gunners their 10th successive win.
While they took a firm grip on their group with six points from two games, London rival Chelsea got its campaign back on track after an embarrassing opening home defeat to Basel with a 4-0 rout of Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.
Elsewhere, Barcelona has a firm grip on its group with maximum points after a 1-0 win over a gallant Celtic, which played the last half hour with just 10 men as captain Scott Brown was sent off.
Barcelona has a two-point lead over AC Milan, which faces it next in a double header, after the Italian side salvaged a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam with a Mario Balotelli penalty four minutes into stoppage time.
Barcelona’s Spanish rival Atletico Madrid displayed the grittiness that its coach Diego Simeone displayed during his playing career to come back and beat Porto 2-1 away and top its group on six points, leaving it unbeaten on the field of play this season.
Arsenal holds a three-point lead over both Napoli and last season’s beaten finalist Borussia Dortmund, which beat Marseille 3-0 and will provide a stern test for Wenger’s men in the upcoming double header.
Wenger, though, was in raptures over his side’s performance against Napoli.
“The first half was amazing, absolutely fantastic. Everything was in there.
“All that you dream to see when you come to watch football,” Wenger said.
His Dortmund counterpart Jurgen Klopp had to watch his side win from the stands because of a UEFA ban, but he was delighted with what he saw as two goals from Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and another from Marco Reus saw it to an easy win.
“It was a great game, Marseille are a strong team and you have to give it everything you have against them.
“My team were prepared to stick their foot in the door and make sure of the win.”
Chelsea recovered from an early blow of Fernando Torres limping off with Brazilian Ramires playing the major role by grabbing a double, although German international Andre Schurrle was the player to take the eye.
“I think we are going to do it. I think we are going to qualify,” said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
“This result today is important, because if you don’t win, you are a bit under pressure.”
Chelsea next face two games in succession against Schalke, which will go into the first match top of the group thanks to impressive young German international Julian Draxler’s second-half goal that saw off Basel 1-0 in Switzerland.
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