Arsenal:
                   Lehmann
          Eboue Toure Senderos Flamini
                   Gilberto 
Hleb (Bergkamp 86) Cesc Ljungberg Reyes (Pires 68)
                     Henry

We got a break a couple of minutes later when Raul's chip to Gravesen in midfield was awkward for him to control, and Thierry Henry nipped in. He slipped the ball forward for Cesc to run onto but he found himself tackled by 3 defenders on the edge of the box. The ball popped out to the left for Jose Reyes who had a free shot from an angle, and tried to place it inside the far post only to see it go a couple of feet wide.

Another couple of minutes and another chance up the other end. Beckham's superb long cross-field ball found Zidane on their left, and he laid it back for Ronaldo whose shot from just outside the box was blocked for a corner. Beckham took it from their left and it was cleared from the box only to find Roberto Carlos and he smacked it back in. This time the ball took 2 deflections before going for the corner - the kind of pinball moment where absolutely anything could have happened.

Arsenal started to come out and play a bit more, working the ball in patient build-up where to start with we'd just been looking for the quick breaks. One nice move ended when Henry played the ball out to the left, behind Freddie Ljungberg who (not unexpectedly, surely?) had been creeping forward looking to make a dart into the box.

Reyes gave a foul away 25 yards out. Real took it quick and it came to nothing but the ref called it back to be taken again for some reason. I've never understood that - if you go for a quick one and it doesn't work then surely you pay the price? It's like ordering a penalty that's been scored to be retaken because the keeper came off his line. Anyway when they took it again they caught us napping (ooops! being caught by a quick free kick is one thing but by a quickly retaken free kick is quite another). A cute backheel found Guti on the ball in the box, only for Henry, who had been alert, to get back and make a cracking and crucial tackle.

Maybe Guti thought it should have been a penalty, or maybe he was just frustrated at wasting the chance. Whatever, moments later he weas booked after fouling Henry and then kicking the ball away.

Henry swung the free kick into the box on a slight diagonal, and it passed just in front of both Senderos and Kolo Toure who had made similar unmarked runs towards goal.

Beckham took a low bending free kick from a dangerous central position not far outside the D. Jens saw it late but was able to drop to his left onto the ball. We were getting the worst of a lot of the close reffing decisions, some of which seemed pretty much random.

Another looping Beckham free kick was well caught by Lehmann, coming out of goal and plucking it off a white-shirted head.

Zidane and Ronaldo broke after a rare loose ball by Cesc in midfield, but wasted the chance. While these are still clearly skilful strikers, they (and Raul who's not long back from injury) were badly let down by their lack of pace. Senderos, Toure, and Emmanuel Eboue were all massive in this game and perhaps the most telling factor in the end was their fitness levels compared to the 3 Madrid strikers. However good their ball-control, we were always able to get the right side of them.

Particularly nice to see Big Phil having such a good game after a slight down-turn in his form this season. But special mention on the defensive side has to go to Mathieu Flamini You'll never see a better left full-back performance by a right-sided fringe midfielder. It's incredible really, remembering back to his first couple of games in that position and how woefully out-of-place he looked. He must have been working very very hard on it inbetween games, as he always does during them. Full credit to him, and belatedly to Wenger for sticking with him in that position of late. At first I was convinced that Sebastian Larsson would have been better, and perhaps at that time he would have, but by persisting with Matty Wenger has once again performed a role-change miracle. Not that I'm suggesting that Ashley Cole shouldn't come back in when fit!

On 18 Henry did well in their box, taking the ball to the touchline to the right of goal then cutting it back for Reyes whose sidefooted shot was blocked a looped over the bar, when a simple blast might have been more effective. Then a great run from Reyes, poking the ball past Ramos then running past him, was ended by a desperate foul with Ramos lucky not to see yellow. Henry's dangerous free kick was glanced over the bar by a defender's head. Shortly before, another from a similar position out on the left had been header clear at the far post with Toure lurking in position to score.

There was some great battling from Ljungberg in our half, followed by a near-perfect long ball forward for Henry. Near-perfect, but just a tad too strong.

On 19 minutes the best move of the game so far came from Arsenal. We worked the ball all over their half of the pitch, starting with Alexander Hleb and Emmanuel_Eboue on the right and ending with Henry slipping the ball wide left for Hleb who'd worked his way across the pitch. He played it low into the box finding Freddie just forward of the penalty spot. With back to goal, he could have tried to spin and shoot but he spotted Cesc coming in on the right and laid it back. The young Spaniard's shot was heading for the middle of goal when a defender stuck out a foot and deflected it just past the post. The corner was cleared but straight away we put another good move togther which almost created a good chance for Hleb.

This, incidentally, was easily Hleb's best game for us so far. Calm, industrious and very skilful, he caused all sorts of problems with his running with the ball. If he can start scoring goals, he'll be a top attacking midfielder worthy of taking on the task of filling the boots of a Freddie or Bobby.

On 25 minutes Eboue came down the wing on his first overlapping run beyond Hleb, only to be nearly taken out right on the touchline by a sliding 2-footed studs-up challenge. The defender (Carlos?) was very lucky not to make contact, as Eboue managed to jump over him, we didn't even get a free kick and the move broke down.

Raul caught Lehmann when going for a long ball forward. No malice in it, as Raul had his eye on the ball as it came down over his shoulder from behind. Jens had some treatment on his knee but was soon up agaian and showing no ill-effects. No ill-feeling either. Things got more tasty as the game went on but never got nasty, both teams showing and deserving plenty of respect for that, as eveidenced by the post-match interviews.

On 41 a lovely one-two between Henry and Cesc, to get the latter into the crowded box with the ball, almost opened them up. But Roberto Carlos made a good challenge.

Henry ran forward onto a hoof from our half of the pitch, and barged Raul Bravo off the ball fairly and uncompromisingly to win the ball. Still, there were 2 defenders in front of him, so he passed wide right for Reyes who took a touch then fired at goal only to see it come back off the bar.

The last action of the half followed a bad ball from Reyes, played behind Eboue who was making a run infield rather than to the wing. They broke quickly and Ronaldo got the ball deep in our box on their left. But Toure got across to shepherd him, and ended up not only winning the ball but also leaving the former multiple world player of the year on his not inconsiderable arse.

Early in the second half, and Salgado did get nasty with what looked like a deliberate kick in the back of Reyes' legs. A foul was given but no card.

Zidane made a superb run past Cesc and Gilberto, then played the ball wide right for Beckham only for Flamini to make yet another terrific challenge, and he was rewarded with a goal kick as the ball came off the England captain on the way out.

Beckham took a long free kick from their left wing which he aimed at the far top corner, but it landed on the roof of the net and Lehmann probably had it covered, not comfortably though.

Cesc got a shot after a good move, but was given offside. Still, Casillas made an outstanding save.

12 minutes after the restart Zidane looped a cross from their left towards Beckham beyond the far post again and he did really well to get a header in right on the touchline, which popped it back into the goalmouth. But no Real players were following up and Kolo was able to hoof it clear from the goal line.

Then we had a moment of real danger which induced one of brilliance from Lehmann. First Raul hit the inside of the post and the ball spun across the face of goal and back to him. Lehmann scrambled back into his goalmouth and when Raul placed the second shot inside the far post Jens somehow managed to stick out a hand and get the slightest of touches on it, slight but just enough to divert the shot past that far post.

Gravesen hit a long range shot that didn't trouble Lehmann, and then got booked hacking Senderos down from behind after the defender had started a marauding Adams-style run.

Real were on top at this stage.

Beckham took another free kick which found Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos free at the far post. Ramos was better placed but Ronaldo was in front of him and didn't get (or didn't heed) a call, and he got under the ball and headed it over.

There was yet another terrific tackle by Flamini on Beckham, but the ref wrongly gave the latter a free kick. He lofted it over the bar.

We started to come out again half way through the half. Great play down the right from the Eboue/Freddie combination, ending with a deep run from Eboue and a low hard cross along the 6 yard line which was cleared only to Hleb just outside the box whose first time shot went a 2 foot wide. Then Robert Pires was brought on for Reyes and Baptista for Gravesen. Zidane hit a great pass to Ronaldo who cut inside then hit his shot against Toure when there were other white shirts in space.

Then another superb run from Eboue ended with a shot deflected into the side netting.

The next time Eboue tried to run forward he was fouled cynically by Ronaldo on the touchline, the Brazilian knowing that he simply didn't have thepace to beat Eboue any other way. Cassano came on for Raul.

We put a bit of pressure on, and after a spell of head tennis in their box the ball looped out to Cesc who brought it down and started a more measured move. Via Hleb, it came to Henry central and just inside the box. He hit a low shot towards the foot of the right post but Casillas got down to make a great save.

Cassano hit a cross from their left which Beckham tried to head back across goal and into the path of Baptista's run, but Lehmann was alert to it and plucked the ball out. Straight up the other end, Henry went on a solo run and hit a shot from nowhere which went very close to the left post.

Just past the hour now. Gilberto made a great tackle just inside our box then left the ball for Cesc who banged it forward seeing the space in front of Henry. But Casillas again did well, racing out of his box to clear.

Flamini gave a foul away with a clumsy challenge on Beckham. Henry was down injured up the other end of the pitch. We set the wall and Freddie took up a position just to the right and behind it. They seemed to be moaning to the ref about Freddie's position (even though he looked further from the ball than the wall was!) and Raul Bravo came over to stand right in front of Freddie. They took a touch or two from the free kick to set up the shot, for Roberto Carlos I think, by which time Freddie had muscled his way past Bravo and got forward to charge the ball down. A classic Freddie moment.

They got another free kick but it was cleared and Pires broke down the right, the move ending when he cut it square for Cesc whose shot was blocked on the edge of the box.

We broke again, down the left this time, and Henry tried to sneak intot he box only to see that ball go a bit too far ahead of him allowing Casillas to nip out and claim it.

Robinho came on for Salgado, a striker for a defender in their final throw of the dice. Zidane deliberately pulled Freddie's boot off after winning a free kick from him, allowing Freddie to waste some time complaining about it. Another Beckham free kick headed well clear by Senderos. We broke and Henry passed forward for Hleb to run onto, only for Raul Bravo to hack him down from behind.

4 minutes of normal time (and 3 of added, which seemed to go by in slow-motion) remaining and Bergkamp came on for Hleb - both of them getting massive ovations.

Casano hit a low cross in from the right, it looked like Lehmann or another defender would get to it first but instead Senderos lunged in front of them and deflected the ball, high and scary, over the bar. Casillas came up for the corner but Lehmann came nearly to the eedge of his box to claim it and fed Pires who broke up the right. With the keeper nowehere near getting back, Pires hit the shoit from just inside their half, getting the aim perfect but the pace just a foot too short, allowing Roberto Carlos to get back and stop the ball right on the line.

The last action was a Robinho shot from the D which Jens saw late making the low save better than it looked.

An outstanding team performance against a Real side who may have looked under-impressive but who can still name some superb players in their line-up. If they looked a bit ordinary in these 2 matches it was at least partly because Arsenal were extraordinary. I've mentioned the defence above, all of whom were superb, and Hleb and Freddie who were both absolute dynamos and both of whom could be complete attacking midfielders if they could only start scoring goals ('...again', in Freddie's case). Cesc and Gilberto were both superb again (I forgot to mention above one amazing little flick from Cesc, running back towards goal, which turned defence into attack) and again looked better for having their roles clairifed. Cesc attacks, Gilberto mops up. A big hand to our skipper as well. I heard a few people saying he had a quiet game, I'd say the opposite. He always seemed to have 3 or 4 white shirts around him, whether on the ball or just in danger of receiving it, but time and time again he managed to hold it and/or use it well. And this was perhaps the first game where I thought his role as captain was both noticeable and effective, with much rallying of the troops and pointing out of dangers.

I'm told that this clean sheet, our 6th in a row in the competition, brings us 1 away from the record (set by Milan?). Can anyone provide chapter and verse? (Jørn writes to confirm: Milan managed 7 clean sheets last year, their last 2 group games and up to the second leg of the semi, which they lost 3-1 but went through on away goals).

The draw for the quarter-finals is tomorrow. Arsenal go into the (free) draw along with Benfica, Milan, Barcelona, Olympique Lyonnais, Juventus, and Villareal. The final place will be taken by either Internazionale or Ajax, who play next Tuesday with Inter having the advantage of bringing 2 goals into the home leg from the drawn match in Amsterdam a fortnight ago.

It's so nice that Real got to visit Highbury one time before it closed.

Rupe adds...
Ok, ok. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to point out that Real had been to Highbury before, although not in a competitive match: they won 4-0 in a friendly in 1962/62.

Rupe adds...
Further thanks to Udi who reminds us that Real played in Lee Dixon's testimonial in 1999. It's even in this NewsReel. Ooops.