Arsenal 1-0 Besiktas

Arsenal 1-0 Besiktas PLAYER RATINGS: Alexis Sanchez impresses but Gunners need more firepower

-Alexis Sanchez's first goal for Arsenal was precious
-Injury Olivier Giroud leaves Gunners short of options
-Mathieu Debuchy's dismissal could have been costly 

Arsenal scraped into the group stage of the Champions League on a night of high anxiety at the Emirates Stadium that saw Alexis Sanchez open his Gunners account.

Arsene Wenger's team missed a succession of chances to put the qualifier beyond the reach of Besiktas following a goalless draw in the first leg in Istanbul, with a 1-0 win putting Arsenal through.

Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain failed to score when it was harder to miss amid the mayhem of a roller-coaster second half in which Mathieu Debuchy was sent off for collecting a second yellow card.

Here, Matt Barlow gives his verdict on the performance of the players. 

ARSENAL

WOJCIECH SZCZESNY: Rarely extended but his hands were tidy and he patrolled his penalty box with authority, which he doesn’t always do. Booked for time-wasting. 6.5.

MATHIEU DEBUCHY: Fluent as ever in attack and unreliable in defence. Good interception to deny Ba. Booked for a needless shoulder barge and sent off for halting a Besiktas counter-attack. 5.5.

PER MERTESACKER: His presence and experience brings composure to the Arsenal back-four. They played deeper with him in control but Ba was not the threat he was in Istanbul. 6.5.

LAURENT KOSCIELNY: Generally adds mobility and extra snap in the tackle. Aggressive and spirited and good chemistry with Mertesacker. 7.

NACHO MONREAL: A concern for Arsenal in the absence of Kieran Gibbs but very solid in defence. Offered little protection by Ozil. 6.

MATHIEU FLAMINI: Aggressive and committed but without the assurance of Arteta. Prone to conceding free-kicks in dangerous areas. Slip almost lets in Ba in the second half. 6.

ALEX OXLADE CHAMBERLAIN: Adds energy and urgency to Arsenal. Most effective early on. Missed good chance to make it 2-0. 6.5.

SANTI CAZORLA: Quiet by his standards playing in a more central role. Rarely on the ball in the most dangerous areas and enjoyed best spell after Arsenal went to down 10. 6.

JACK WILSHERE: Influential if erratic. Slid a good chance wide early on and escaped a penalty for a challenge on Motta. Key role in the goal and the one who offered drive from midfield. 7.

MESUT OZIL: Nice touches, as always, including a role in the goal, but infuriating at times. Playing wide exposes his deficiencies in defence. Weak in the tackle. 5.5.

ALEXIS SANCHEZ: His first Arsenal goal was precious. Worked hard. Quick and strong. But he does not look like the answer at centre-forward in Giroud’s absence. 7.5.

SUBS: Chambers for Ozil (76mins) booked for coming on in the wrong fashion as Wenger restructured after going to 10 men.

UNUSED: MARTINEZ, COQUELIN, ROSICKY, PODOLSKI, SANOGO, CAMPBELL.

MANAGER: ARSENE WENGER: Not vintage Arsenal by any means but without captain Arteta and the main sources of goals, Ramsey and Giroud, his team got the job done, which was the main thing. 6.5. 

REF: PEDRO PROENCA: It was an unruly affair with lots of robust midfield challenges simmering tension. He booked six Besiktas players and perfectly entitled to send off Debuchy but he made mistakes, including two strong penalty calls by the visitors. 5. 

Sumber : dailymail