Spluttering display yields excellent result.

Faulty electrics had threatened to send us home without a match but after the game went ahead, faulty finishing still threatened to leave us empty handed.

After the first goal we played some slick football, opening the opposition up at will, but a combination of abject finishing and inspired goalkeeping meant we finished the half with only Arshavin's goal to our name. It was a memorable goal though, primarily because of Jack Wilshere's natural ability on the ball. He took on a pass from Arshavin in a tight area but had the skill to role the ball away from the defender with his left sole before dragging it back directly into the path of our incisive Russian who planted the ball into the back of the net. Perhaps one of the best things about the move was that Arshavin anticipated Wilshere's outrageous skill, suggesting that our training sessions must be blessed with moments like that every day.

Arshavin lost his finishing touch in the twenty minutes after the goal though as the ball appeared to be drawn to the keeper. We inevitably paid the price in the 33rd minute when Denilson inexplicably stuck his arm out to deflect an innocuous cross out of the area. The penalty was rolled into the corner and we struggled to find any rhythm until the next major turning point.

Ten minutes into the second half Chamakh managed to edge in front of the last defender to find himself with only the keeper to beat but a clumsy last ditch tackle ended in a tangle of legs and a red card for Jovanovic. Arshavin's poor penalty was kicked away by the out-stretched leg of the goalie and we continued to labour despite being a man to the good.

Marouane Chamakh gives us a different option though and Tomas Rosicky found the striker with a good cross. His initial header was superbly tipped onto the bar but the ball fell kindly for our new signing to score in his fifth successive Champions League game. With twenty minutes to go, Partizan looked spent and Squillaci was on hand to head home brilliantly from a Samir Nasri corner to make the points sure, or so it seemed. Partizan continued to muster little in reply but a long ball into the channel caught Kieran Gibbs the wrong side of his opponent and he made a clumsy challenge in the box.

Partizan now had the chance to give the game the climax that their incredible fans deserved but the much maligned Lukasz Fabianski pulled off a good save to cap a solid performance. It was the first decent display from our no.2 in recent memory and will give him some much needed confidence should he be called upon again. He pulled off another impressive save before the end of the match and he was one of a number of positives to come from a very challenging fixture.

Photo: Action Images

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