Celtic 0 – Arsenal 2 (Gallas 43, Caldwell o.g. 71)
Match Report | Highlights

An inadverted William Gallas strike and a Gary Caldwell own goal saw Arsenal run out 2-0 winners at Parkhead and take control of their Champions League tie. The Gunners thought they had taken the lead eleven minutes in, but Andrey Arshavin’s close-range shot was ruled out for offside. William Gallas then put his side ahead when a Cesc Fabregas shot richocheted off the back of the Frenchman and flew into the net. Gary Caldwell then scored an own-goal in the 71st minute to give the Gunners a massive advantage heading into next week’s second leg.

Manuel Almunia – Had very little to do all night. Made just the one save over the course of the match, and did that with ease. No real complaints about his distribution, or anything else for that matter. 7

Bacary Sagna – Seems as if he hasn’t really clicked into gear this season. Decent performance by any means, but he did have a couple of sloppy moments. His defending remained solid and he worked hard in attack, but his best is yet to come and I’m looking forward to it. 7

Thomas Vermaelen – Arsene Wenger seems to have unearthed another gem, with Vermaelen producing a second consecutive showing of defensive brilliance tonight. Absolutely ate up everything that came anywhere near him, both on the ground and in the air, and was the main reason that Manuel Almunia had almost nothing to do. 9

William Gallas – Forging a very strong partnership with Thomas Vermaelen in the heart of the Arsenal defence. These two have worked great together so far. Gallas was not as monstrous as his partner in crime Vermaelen, but still put in a fantastic defensive performance. 8

Gael Clichy – See: Bacary Sagna. 7

Denilson - Busy midfield performance from the young Brazilian. Didn’t quite replicate the weekend’s heroics, bt still put on a commendable display. Made some good tackles in midfield and must have covered a lot of ground, although his passing did seem a bit off. 7

Cesc Fabregas – Absolutely ran his socks off tonight. His work rate was unbelievable, as he was everywhere tonight, constantly nipping at the heels of the opposition. Going forward he was not quite as effective, although it was his shot that was diverted off the back of William Gallas into the net. 8

Alex Song – Absolute monster in the midfield, He’s stepped it up another level so far this season Made a tonne of passes, and I can only recall two of them going astray. Brilliant, dynamic, lung-busting midfield performance. If only the rest of the side had his energy. 8.5

Nicklas Bendtner – Another hard worker in the Arsenal side tonight, although it didn’t really pay off for the big Dane. Played better in the first half than in the second, and wasn’t clinical at all in the final third.  6.5

Robin van Persie – Again failed to impose himself on the match, despite being on the pitch from the outset. He worked hard and had a few neat touches, but ultimately was detrimental to Arsenal’s cause tonight. The Gunners were in dire need of pace up front, something that van Persie simply does not offer. 6

Andrey Arshavin – Seems like another one that hasn’t quite found his stride yet. Once his teammates get into gear and he has somebody up front that will get into space for him he will become much more of a creative force. His class was evident in patches tonight, and his movement off the ball caused havoc among the Celtic defence. 7

The team as a whole worked far harder than they have in quite a while. It paid off, and now the Gunners are in a brilliant position ahead of next week’s second leg at Ashburton Grove. The next match is at home to Portsmouth on Saturday, and Arsenal will be looking to make it three wins from three in all competitions.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 12:21 AM and is filed under Arsenal, Champions League, Player Ratings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.