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In the second round Group D match of the Champions League, Arsenal took on Turkish giants Galatasaray on Wednesday at the Emirates Stadium. It proved to be a comfortable victory for the Gunners as they dismantled Galatasaray with a 4-1 score line. While Arsenal opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, Cesare Prandelli went for a defence consisting of 3 central defenders hence going for a 3-5-2 formation. Not only was this a surprise tactic from the experienced Italian but it also backfired heavily as Arsenal ran riot in the opening half.
Defensive frailties for Galatasaray
In the opening half Arsenal was able to get off to the better start as the Galatasaray defense looked dodgy. With a 5 man midfield, the Galatasaray defense was left open on far too many occasions and Arsenal immediately tried to take advantage. With the pace on offer through the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Gunners made early in-roads and frustrated the Galatasaray.
The Arsenal front 3 combined well on numerous occasions and the link-up play between them and Mesut Özil was brilliant on the night. As the game wore on, Welbeck used his pace to a great extent to put Arsenal 2-0 up within a space of eight minutes in the first half. The Galatasaray defense was in tatters by this time and that was evident as they committed some hasty fouls.
Felipe Melo got away with a red card offense when he went in with a sliding tackle that took Sanchez of his feet in the 34th minute. The Brazilian midfielder could consider himself lucky to be shown just a caution. By the 37th minute the Galatasaray fans had seen enough and showed their discontent by throwing flares on the pitch.
Danny Welbeck’s 1st career hat-trick
The day clearly belonged to Arsenal and in particular Danny Welbeck who struck a fine hat-trick which was his first at this level. For all Arsenal fans, his services could not have come at a better time as Arsenal clearly needed to win this match to gain some much needed confidence. Welbeck came into this game all fired up and used his pace and strength along with some excellent runs to get the better of the Galatasaray defense.
In addition to that, Alexis Sanchez also had a good game as he chipped in with a goal and an assist. Oxlade-Chamberlain also showed bursts of speed and energy proving difficult to handle as did Mesut Özil who looked sharp in a more central role.
Wojciech Szcz?sny loses the plot
Just when it looked like all was going well for Arsenal, Szcz?sny went in with a reckless challenge on Burak Yilmaz. The Polish goalkeeper once again showed that he lacks concentration at times and ended up being sent off for his challenge reducing Arsenal to 10 men for the final 30 minutes of play.
This minor blip in the otherwise sublime effort by the Arsenal defense allowed Galatasaray to snatch a consolation goal via the penalty spot as David Ospina was introduced in the Arsenal Goal. Yilmaz kept his composure and drilled in a low shot just to the right of the Columbian keeper.
During the final half hour, Galatasaray pressed hard but the Arsenal defense was more than up to the challenge with Ospina making some fine saves. Calum Chambers also made some useful contributions and the central defending pair of Koscielny and Mertesacker was rock solid once again.
As for Galatasaray, apart from the consolation goal, they were not able to muster any great plays. Wesley Sneijder was the only player who looked to threaten at times but in the end it was not enough. Overall, the Gunners put on a great display at the Emirates and bagged the vital three points that were required.
Looking ahead
Arsène Wenger can be very pleased with his team’s effort today as Arsenal look forward to a mouth watering clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Wenger in particular praised Welbeck for his contribution by stating that: “He [Welbeck] had a great performance. He added that instinct of a goalscorer and was more aggressive and made great runs and finished to the good work of the team.”
Arsenal have managed to get their Champions League back on track with today’s victory, but they need to close the gap to Chelsea in the Premier League and a win against their London rivals over the weekend would be the ideal way forward.
| Stats | Arsenal | Galatasaray |
| GOALS | 4 | 1 |
| TOTAL ATTEMPTS | 12 | 18 |
| ON TARGET | 5 | 7 |
| SAVES | 11 | 5 |
| PASSES ATTEMPTED | 392 | 392 |
| PASSES COMPLETED | 336 | 331 |
| ACCURACY % | 86 | 84 |
| OFFSIDES | 3 | 4 |
| POSSESSION | 53 | 47 |
| CORNERS | 4 | 7 |
| FOULS COMMITTED | 10 | 13 |
