Arsenal are on the brink of yet another round of 16 exit as a Lionel Messi double helped Barcelona to a 2-0 first leg win at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
A tight and tense first-half saw chances at a premium, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luis Suarez coming the closest to breaking the deadlock for their respective sides.
With the game becoming increasingly stretched as the home side began to tire, the Blaugrana’s menacing front-three of Suarez, Messi and Neymar were able to find more space against what was a relatively organised Gunners defence.
In similar circumstances to last season’s capitulation to Monaco, Arsenal were caught cold on the break as Neymar and Messi capitalised on some naive defending to find that all important away goal, with the Argentine cooly slotting past Petr Cech.
Moments of madness from Per Mertesacker and Mathieu Flamini virtually gifted the Catalans their second, as Flamini’s rash tackle inside the penalty area allowed the ‘Little Master’ to double Barca’s lead from the spot, leaving Arsenal with the almost impossible task of overturning a 2-0 deficit at the Nou Camp.
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Arsenal
Petr Cech – 7: Made a wonderful save early in the second-half with Neymar bearing down on goal. Hapless for both goals.
Hector Bellerin – 6.5: Contained Neymar for large portions of the match, but was found wanting for Barca’s opener.
Laurent Koscielny – 7: Arsenal’s best defender on the night. Made some vital interceptions and coped well with the threat of Suarez.
Per Mertesacker – 6: Was having a solid outing and made some crucial blocks before his mistimed lunge high up the pitch allowed Neymar to break away. Should of cleared his lines better for the visitors’ second.
Nacho Monreal – 7: The Spaniard had the daunting task of marking Messi and was commendable in his role. Arsenal’s unsung hero can again be satisfied with his efforts.
Aaron Ramsey – 6: Worked his socks off in what was a tenacious performance from the Welshman. Missed a glaring chance in the second-half and was erratic in possession at times.
Francis Coquelin – 6.5: Like Ramsey, Coquelin put in a huge shift as he broke up play effectively and distributed simply.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5.5: Started brightly but will be ruing the guilt edge chance he squandered early in the first-half. Substituted early after the break due to injury.
Mesut Ozil – 6: A relatively quiet performance from the German. Neat and tidy in possession, but failed to create any meaningful opportunities.
Alexis Sanchez – 6: Engaged in an engrossing tussle with Dani Alves, the Chilean was energetic throughout but wasteful in the final third. Form continues to be a major concern.
Olivier Giroud – 6: Had a header brilliantly saved by Ter Stegen and inexplicably chose the wrong option with Theo Walcott and Sanchez in great positions. Huffed and puffed but to no avail.
Substitutes
Theo Walcott – 5: Largely anonymous after coming on for Oxlade-Chamberlain. For someone of his experience he should be having a greater impact.
Danny Welbeck – 6: Looked to get in behind the Barca defence and provided a wonderful knock down only for Ramsey to fluff his lines
Mathieu Flamini – 0: Surprisingly introduced for Coquelin and within seconds conceded a penalty with a horrible tackle to seal the Gunners fate. How his still an Arsenal play we will never know.
FC Barcelona
Marc-Ander ter Stegen – 7: Came up big denying Giroud with an acrobatic stop. Comfortably dealt with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey’s tame efforts. Assured performance.
Dani Alves – 7: The feisty Brazilian got the better of Sanchez on the night. Much better defensively then going forward which is something you do not always associate with the fullback.
Gerard Pique – 6.5: Struggled with the physical presence of Giroud but was not posed enough questions. Cleverly got himself booked to avoid being suspended later in the competition.
Javier Mascherano – 7: A typically robust performance from the Argentine. Barca’s general at the back.
Jordi Alba – 6.5: Went about his business with minimal fuss. Always provided an overlapping option and did his defensive duties adequately.
Sergio Busquets – 8.5: The best player on the pitch. Single handedly dictated the tempo that Barca played at. Imperious in possession and put a foot in when required.
Andreas Iniesta – 8: Kept the visitors ticking in the centre of the park. His experience was a decisive factor in the Catalans reigning supreme in the midfield battle.
Ivan Rakitic – 6: Very quiet evening from the Croatian compared to his fellow midfield counterparts.
Lionel Messi – 8: Continues to be a thorn in Arsenal’s side, nabbing a decisive brace to put the Catalans in a commanding position. Shackled for the majority of the match, but was still able to come up trumps when it mattered.
Luis Suarez – 6.5: The Uruguayan was uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal and blew two guilt-edged opportunities. Was well marked by Koscielny.
Neymar – 7: Found the going tough in the early stages, but benefited from the space offered to him after halftime. Left Bellerin for dead before laying it on a platter for Messi to set the Blaugrana on their merry way.
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