Arsenal 2-0 Standard Liege: Gunners Top Group With Comfy Win

Arsenal cemented their position at the top of Group H with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Standard Liege.

First half strikes from Samir Nasri and Denilson, both recently returning from injury, were enough to see off a Belgian side who struggled to deal with the home side's passing football.

Standard struck the crossbar and post through Dheudonne Mbokani and Gohi Bi Cyriac, but were well beaten by the Gunners, who will now face a second placed team in the first knockout round.

Arsenal were eager to put Saturday’s defeat at Sunderland behind them early and would have had the lead on the 15 minute mark were it not for some fine goalkeeping and some good fortune for Liege.

Cesc Fabregas’s corner was met by Andriy Arshavin but kept out well by Senin Bolat, before Carlos Vela smashed the rebound against the post from close range and Thomas Vermaelen’s goal-bound effort hit Arshavin and flew clear.

The Gunners continued to probe the penalty area and had a strong appeal for a penalty turned away as Emmanuel Eboue went over under a challenge to no avail.

The woodwork was struck again as the visitors broke on the counter attack five mutes later, Mbokani striking the angle of post and bar with a curling effort, before Wilfriend Dalmat sent the follow-up strike across goal.

Arsenal were reduced to nine men for a brief period after a clash of heads between William Gallas and Arshavin, but it was during that spell that the home side took the lead.

It was a goal uncharacteristic of an Arsenal team famed for their slick passing style as Landry Mulemo slipped attempting to clear a long diagonal ball from Vermaelen, which allowed Nasri a one-on-one situation with Bolat, coolly passing home. Arshavin nearly doubled the hosts’ lead shortly after as Nasri turned provider for the Russian, whose stinging drive was inches away from nestling inside Bolat’s bottom left hand corner.

If Eboue felt aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty, at the other end Reginal Goreux must have felt robbed as he was clumsily brought down by Gallas but offered short shrift by referee Konrad Plautz.

By that point Arsenal were almost completely in control however and created further chances, first through Fabregas, who sent Arshavin’s pass across the face of goal, before Denilson’s swerving strike from distance somehow evaded Bolat’s clutches to give Arsenal a two-goal lead at the interval.

Questions will have been asked of the Turkish goalkeeper at the break, but the flight of the ball was quite extraordinary and saw the Brazilian score his first Champions League goal.

Gallas, who looked to have been concussed in his collision with Arshavin, was replaced at half-time by Mikael Silvestre, though the Frenchman was not called into action in the early stages of the second half as Fabregas blasted over from 20 yards.

Axel Witsel was then gifted an opportunity to pull Liege back into the game, as he found himself completely unmarked after chesting down Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez’s chipped free-kick, but he fluffed his close range chance weakly into the hands of Manuel Almunia.

With half an hour remaining, Theo Walcott was brought on in place of Nasri, shortly after Mexican Carlos Vela, staking his claim to a place in Arsene Wenger’s immediate plans, turned his defender brilliantly inside the box, before miscuing embarrassingly to give away a throw-in.

Liege responded with a change of their own five minutes later, bringing on Moussa Traore for Dalmat in an attempt gain some impetus, but it was Arsenal who went close once again through Walcott, who shot across Bolat’s body, but missed the target.

There were further substitutions shortly after as Mbokani left the field to be replaced by Cyriac and Thomas Rosicky returned from injury for Denilson, nearly setting up Fabregas with his first touch, though the Spaniard tumbled as he was set to receive the ball inside the box.

The game descended into exhibition stuff for the home side as they kept the ball for large spells in the closing stages, always one pass away from a chance, much to the frustration of the visitors.

Liege were able to muster one more effort and were again denied by the frame of the goal, this time through Cyriac, who struck from 18 yards out and hit the foot of Almunia's right post.

It was all too much for Carcela-Gonzalez though, and Liege were left to finish the game with ten men after the midfielder was sent off for a triple threat of misconduct, wildly fouling Fabregas before kicking the ball away and butting heads with the Spaniard.