In a special turn of events last night, Arsenal secured a 1-4 win away at Basel and saw Paris Saint-Germain slip up at home to Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets Razgrad to put them through to the last 16 of the Champions League as winners of Group A.The Gunners knew they needed to win, but even a victory in Switzerland would not have been enough if PSG matched their result. Alas, the French champions, who only equalised in injury time via Angel di Maria, failed to beat their opponents, leaving the Londoners at the summit of their pool, which they acknowledged after the match…
It was a special night, then. Arsenal know they will now be seeded for the draw for the knockout phase of the competition, which will allow them to dodge teams like Barcelona. However, being top of their group is no guarantee of progression to the quarter-finals, as they showed when they met Monaco a couple of seasons ago.
Anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and instead relive what was a big win via TEN amazing pictures…
Big night for the Gunners
Arsenal headed into their clash with Basel knowing that even a win may not be enough to take them top of Group A. The Gunners needed to beat Basel in Switzerland, but the chances of Paris Saint-Germain dropping points at home to Ludogorets Razgrad appeared slim…
Fisching for a result
Basel may have been at the bottom of Group A with just two points from five games, but the Swiss champions are well-known across Europe and have beaten the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in Champions League action in recent years. In manager Urs Fischer, they have a talented tactician, who looked focused before a ball was kicked.
Wenger’s big night
The Champions League has been a relatively happy hunting ground for Arsene Wenger for some time, with the Frenchman’s Arsenal perennial qualifiers for the competition and a common name in the pot for the last 16. However, finishing top of their group has always been an issue, so Wenger knew before kick-off that he needed to maximise his side’s chances with a good win.
Luc out…
Handed a rare start, Lucas Perez repaid his manager’s faith within the opening ten minutes with a well-taken opener. The Spaniard’s Arsenal career has stuttered (and that’s a kind verdict) since his summer move from Deportivo La Coruna, but it was clear to see the joy and relief on his face when the ball nestled in the net.
Like buses…
Confidence is a funny thing, and Perez’s first goal appeared to give him a lift. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time once again when he notched number two by rolling the ball home after a Kieran Gibbs shot was parried into his path by goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.
Three’s company…
Perez’s third goal was the pick of the bunch as the Spaniard surged forward and smashed the ball past Vaclik. He may have been aided by some fairly weak keeping from the Basel stopper, but the Spaniard had earned a little luck after slotting seamlessly into Wenger’s XI.
Iwobi in on the act
It wasn’t only Perez affecting the scoresheet, with Alex Iwobi, who was also handed a start by Wenger, getting in on the act. The Nigerian winger latched onto the end of a flowing piece of play between Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to stab home the fourth goal and put the game beyond any doubt.
Basel faulty
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Arsenal though, in tough conditions at Basel’s St Jakob-Park, The home side nabbed a consolation goal with just under 15 minutes left to play as former Newcastle loanee Seydou Doumbia lost Rob Holding before swivelling past Laurent Koscielny and rifling home.
Hopeful fan
It may have been a speculative banner from this fan, but we hope he got Sanchez’s shirt!
Perez’s big night
With PSG only able to register a 2-2 draw at home to Ludogorets, Arsenal topped Group A, putting themselves in the seeded pot for the last 16 draw. On a similarly positive note, Perez’s hat-trick appears to have come at just the right time, with Arsenal now facing two Premier League ties in the space of seven days and a hectic Christmas fixture list.