...and any chance of winning their Champions League group in a game that echoed our epic capitulation at Newcastle several seasons ago.
There were early signs of trouble as Anderlecht made a number of dangerous sorties into the Arsenal half during the opening thirty minutes. Szczesny had to make one excellent save and a couple of deflected shots kept the Belgians at bay.
Arsenal were rewarded for their dominant game when they were awarded a penalty after Welback was tripped in the area. Mikel Arteta converted the chance.
Alexis Sanchez then scored a goal which will be long remembered. His freekick was hit into the wall and bounced back towards him. His volley went through the wall and past the goalkeeper.
Arsenal continued to dominate in the second half and were rewarded by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain charging through the defence and shooting past the keeper into the far post
The departure of Mikel Arteta would be a key moment in retrospect as this was when Anderlecht began their comeback.
Anderlecht’s first goal was offside, but the team were unable to slow the game down, play more intelligently, or continue to press upfield.
Monreal brought down one of Anderlecht’s forwards and conceded a penalty which was then converted. At this point one expected the Belgians to tie things up and hoped that the Gunners would at least get a point from this match.
Finally Anderlecht tied the match up, this time Mertesacker beaten to a cross which was headed past a stranded Szczesny.
It was classic smash and grab, this time Arsenal being the inept victim. For a team aspiring to win trophies this draw raises serious doubts.
Player Ratings:
Szczesny 6. A good save in the first half kept the Belgians off the scoresheet. On Anderlecht’s third goal he was caught coming out and then was stranded when he tried to back off and was unable to save the header.
Chambers 5. A fine first half, but was largely overrun in the second half where his flank was a platform for Anderlecht’s comeback.
Mertesacker 5. Exposed a number of times in the first half by the Belgians running. Will be remembered for not getting to the cross first on the game’s final goal.
Monreal 5. Will want to forget the final twenty minutes. His poor challenge resulted in a penalty awarded. He was lucky to stay on the pitch when he grabbed onto the referee’s sleeves.
Gibbs 6. A header off the line was a key play in retrospect. He was effective going forward, but he too could have defended better.
Arteta 6. Had a fairly good match, but he too was a little exposed a number of times in the first half. He scored his first goal of the season with a well taken penalty. Arsenal will miss him and will hope that this injury, his third of the season, will not keep him out longer than a month.
Ramsey 5. A decent first half, but he faded in the second and he wasn’t able to help plug the holes in the defence. He made a careless backheel in the first half which almost allowed Anderlecht to create an opportunity. He had a couple of shots, but he looks to be trying too hard to raise the level of his game.
Cazorla 5. Like Ramsey, he was also unable to slow the game down and to play more safely. He still has problems in front of the goal. He had a great chance in the first half and selfishly took a shot late in the game when a pass would have been a better option.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 7. A strong game for the Ox, who scored an excellent goal and made a number of strong runs. He could have tracked back a little more to protect the fullback behind him.
Welbeck 6. Won the penalty, run aplenty, had a couple of shots, one of which was blocked, the other narrowly missing. Probably should have stayed on longer, but he was looking tired near the end.
Sanchez 8. Was buzzing around as usual. Creative and persistent, lots of flicks and tricks. Scored a great goal in the first half. He disappeared in the last five or ten minutes.
Substitutes:
Flamini 5. Couldn’t stem the rot and plug the holes. Best remembered for a reckless challenge that wasn’t carded.
Rosicky 5. Wasn’t able to influence the game.
Podolski 5. He too was not what Arsenal needed. It would have been nice to have defensive options on the bench.