When Arsenal went behind to a David Villa goal, it looked as if some impressive Arsenal play would count for absolutely nothing as Barcelona looked to keep possession and settle, as they capably do, with the 0 - 1 result. They may not have expected then, that Arsenal, in front of their brilliantly supportive fans who stayed on their side all night would bravely fight back for a memorable win at the Emirates - their first ever win against Barcelona.
It is hard to pick out an Arsenal player who had a bad game. Every one of them did themselves proud, with the young Jack Wilshere doing particularly magnificently among some of the greatest central midfielders on the planet. He was brilliant at knocking the ball around as well as getting out of some tricky and tight situations, portraying a footballing age years beyond his own 19.
It is hard to pick out an Arsenal player who had a bad game. Every one of them did themselves proud, with the young Jack Wilshere doing particularly magnificently among some of the greatest central midfielders on the planet. He was brilliant at knocking the ball around as well as getting out of some tricky and tight situations, portraying a footballing age years beyond his own 19.
The Arsenal defence, often questioned and exposed as their main weakness, was resilient and made very few mistakes - only falling asleep a couple of times, with only one of those instances being punished. Koscielny was very good at the back and coped with the explosive attack of Barca very well.
The game was a fantastic spectacle, and it did fly by, with the football from both sides being typically technically wonderful, and at times was end to end football. The entertaining game was constantly competitive, with Arsenal being spurred on by their excellent fans who played a very big part in the comeback, giving the players the belief that they needed to pick themselves up after some rocky spells.
A blasted Van Persie shot from an impossible angle caught Victor Valdes on his near post as he occupied himself with the prospect of a flashed cross. The Dutch striker caught everyone out with the shot, and it took a moment to sink in for the fans that the back of the net was bulging.
Five minutes later, and the breathtaking comeback was complete with an Andrei Arshavin winner. He popped off the bench late on and in a counter attack which saw the surprise starter Samir Nasri (after injury) roll it back almost in slow motion, the little Russian stroked the ball past Valdes for a second time. He wheeled away to the delight of the Arsenal fans who mustn't have believed the astonishing sight, as Barcelona players held their heads in their hands.
Arsenal should enjoy it while they can. Yes, they have beaten one of the best teams in the world for the first time in Barcelona. Yes, they showed excellent character to come back from behind. Yes they take a lead into the second leg. But, the second leg will be far higher task for them to complete. The atmosphere will be hostile, the players will be up for it, and Arsenal will be desperate to cling on to their win.
It would be absolutely fantastic for English football and Arsenal if they could pull off an aggregate win over Barcelona at Camp Nou. But it will be, as they undoubtedly know, a very tough task. Even if they do not, they can take great solace in the fact that they have improved from last year and shown great character to come from behind and win. They should use this as a spring board for better things, and finally come of age.
