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Played
October 19, 2011 7:45 PM BST
Stade Vélodrome — Marseille
Referee:‬ D. Skomina‎
Attendance:‬ 33258‎
 
 
Aaron Ramsey 90+2′
Top of the Match
Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker
Arsenal
Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal
Flop of the Match
Lucho González
Lucho González
Olympique de Marseille
Johan Djourou
Johan Djourou
Arsenal

Olympique de Marseille 0-1 Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey stuns OM with late winner for the Gunners

There was to be little excitement at Stade Velodrome, though the Gunners can be delighted with their victory against Didier Deschamps' insipid side

By Robin Bairner

Champions League,Steve Mandanda,Theo Walcott,Olympique de Marseille v Arsenal FC
Getty Images
Arsenal moved top of Champions League Group F, and they can consider their 1-0 victory over Marseille at Stade Velodrome as a competent European performance.

An uninspiring 90 minutes were up by the time Aaron Ramsey was given acres of space on the edge of the box to drive home the game's only goal.

The first half was a largely evenly balanced affair, which was often played at a surprisingly high tempo from both teams, but it would be littered with technical errors, as would the match as a whole.

It was the Gunners who came closest to scoring when Robin van Persie had a header cleared from the line by Souleymane Diawara following a corner kick that caused the hosts real panic, but it was OM who created the greater volume of chances.

In the early stages of the game, Didier Deschamps’ men were restricted to long range efforts, though by the interval they had fashioned two fine openings. Loic Remy’s persistence down the left channel saw him get the better of Per Mertesacker, but his final effort was deflected wide by Carl Jenkinson. Five minutes later, a Mathieu Valbuena cross was prodded just wide by the largely anonymous Lucho Gonzalez.

After the interval, the Premier League side took a firmer grip on proceedings and started to dominate possession. Too often their passing around the box was sluggish or simply inaccurate, though Marseille’s defence stood up well to the threat of the London side.

A terrible error from Nicolas Nkoulou was the exception to this rule, as it released Theo Walcott in the box. Having spurned several good crossing opportunities early in the match, the England international was found wanting in front of goal, with his effort kicked clear by Steve Mandanda.

Even the intermittent threat that Marseille displayed in the first half disappeared following the break. Remy was left isolated for long periods, while Arsenal’s defence managed to crowd out the likes of Valbuena and Andre Ayew.

It was the visitors who finished the match stronger, and in the closing 10 minutes they carved open a handful of openings before Ramsey was finally left to crack the winner. The Welshman came off the bench to sweep home Gervinho's cross with virtually the last kick of the game, and hand the London club victory.

Given the impotence of Marseille, it was hard to argue that Arsene Wenger’s men were not deserving winners of this encounter, and now head into their final three group matches one point clear of the French side, whose lack of ambition merited their defeat.


Olympique de Marseille

30
Steve Mandanda
Goalkeeper
7.0
2
6.0
-
N. N'Koulou
Defender
7.0
15
Jérémy Morel
Defender
5.5
21
5.5
4
Alou Diarra
Midfielder
6.0
7
Benoît Cheyrou
Midfielder
87′
6.0
8
Lucho González
Midfielder
73′
4.0
28
Mathieu Valbuena
Midfielder
5.5
11
Loïc Remy
Striker
69′
5.5
20
André Ayew
Midfielder
14′
4.5

Arsenal

6.5
13
Wojciech Szczesny
Goalkeeper
7.5
4
Per Mertesacker
Defender
7.0
6
5.5
11
Andre Santos
Defender
16′
7.0
25
Carl Jenkinson
Defender
62′
5.5
7
Tomas Rosicky
Midfielder
6.0
8
Mikel Arteta
Midfielder
7.0
17
Alex Song
Midfielder
4′
5.0
10
Andrey Arshavin
Midfielder
78′
6.5
10
5.5
14
Theo Walcott
Striker
67′

Substitutes

1
-
13
Djimi Traore
Defender
-
26
-
31
Gérard Roland
Defender
-
12
Charles Kaboré
Midfielder
87′
-
19
Morgan Amalfitano
Midfielder
73′
-
10
6.0

Substitutes

-
21
Lukasz Fabianski
Goalkeeper
6.0
20
Johan Djourou
Defender
62′ 74′
-
16
Aaron Ramsey
Midfielder
78′ 92′
-
30
Yossi Benayoun
Midfielder
-
35
Francis Coquelin
Midfielder
7.0
27
Gervinho
Striker
67′ 92′
-
29

Coach/Manager

-
-

Coach/Manager

-
-
 
  • Goal
  • Own Goal
  • Penalty
  • Penalty Missed
  • Yellow Card
  • Assist
  • Penalty Save
  • Penalty Shootout Goal
  • Penalty Shootout Miss
  • Yellow Card / Red Card
  • Red Card
  • Substitution IN
  • Substitution OUT
  • Injury
  • Goal.com Rating
  • Goal.com Man of the Match
  • Goal.com Flop of the Match
  • Top & Flop Global Ranking
  • Fans' Man of the Match
  • Fans' Flop of the Match
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona
14 4
Mario Gomez Mario Gomez
Striker
Bayern
13 0
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid
10 2
Karim Benzema Karim Benzema
Striker
Real Madrid
7 0
Didier Drogba Didier Drogba
Striker
Chelsea
6 0