Arsenal:
                 Lehmann
       Eboue Toure Senderos Flamini
         Gilberto          Cesc
Hleb (Bergkamp 80) Pires Ljungberg (van Persie 80)
                  Henry

One goal for Kolo Toure, superbly created by Thierry Henry and Alexander Hleb was the difference we take back to Villarreal next week, with one should-have-been-awarded offside goal for us cancelled out by one should-have-been-awarded penalty claim for them in what was otherwise possibly the best reffing display I've ever seen.

As I was taking my seat, Arzo was being shown the yellow card for a foul on Mathieu Flamini to the left of their penalty area. Henry whipped it into the box and after a couple of touches it fell fairly kindly for Toure who dragged his shot wide.

On 7, a terrific little flick by Freddie Ljungberg, playing on his less-preferred left wing so as to accommodate Hleb on the right and Robert Pires in the middle of the 5 man midfield, put Flamini through to the goal-line where he won a corner. Henry's corner found Gilberto's head 10 yards or more out on the far side of the box. He made good contact, but directed the header down into the pitch and it bounced up and over Freddie's head on its way out for a goal-kick, a yard or 2 wide of the far post.

A couple of minutes later good work from the skipper won another corner on the left. This time it found the head of Philippe Senderos who headed over at the far post.

On 11, Pires put Henry in on the keeper with a neat pass through the middle of the defensive line, and he finished cooly only to see the lino's flag go up for offside. It didn't look offside from my vantage point, and I'm told that replays confirmed the goal should have stood. Hleb was in an offside position but not involved in the play.

Hleb hit a cross-field pass a bit strong for Henry, running up the inside left channel. But he stretched a foot up in the air as he jumped, and pulled the ball down superbly. Still, he had a lot of work to do to keep the ball in play, but he did it, scooping the ball back up the touchline for Flamini to continue the attack. It came infield to Cesc though, and his loose ball further infield was cut out easily. Cesc, just back from his foot problem, looked a little off the pace and it wouldn't be surprising to see him rested for the game against Tottenham on Saturday.

Around this point, I became aware of what the North Bank had been going on about with their chants - thought they were sining for Cyril but it turned out to be a squirrel on the pitch. Eventually the players brought it to the ref's attention and the little fella was chased off and disappeared up behind the West Stand.

Villarreal were trying to hit us on the break but not doing much in these early spells except for a corner won by Forlan, and a few soft free kicks won (and a load more looked for but not given by the excellent ref).

On 10, Freddie nipped into the box on the left to get onto a loose ball, but by the time he got there it was practically on the goal line and all he could do was hit the side netting.

Then the visitors got a bit closer to a half chance when Jens Lehmann was forced to come haring out of his box to deny Forlan. Then they won a free kick 30 yards out for climbing by Toure. Riquelme took it and the shot was low and powerful, but straight down Lehmann's throat.

A nice Arsenal move was started by Pires' ball out left to Freddie. It took him a bit deep but Flamini was backing up well and Freddie found him. Via Cesc, the ball came back to Pires on the edge of the box and he tried a curler to the far post which went a yard wide.

20 minutes in and Cesc went on a mazy dribble through the middle. stopped only when he tried to get past one too many, with Emmanuel Eboue in space on his right if he'd had the time or the presence to look up.

A couple of minutes later a ricochet saw the ball fall to Pires on the edge of the box and he brought it forward only to be foiled by a breathtaking last-ditch tackle from behind. The corner came over and resulted in a goalmouth scramble, with Freddie first being unable to get a shot away, then the ball coming back to Gilberto whose shot was blocked for another corner (which their stand-in keeper took well but under not enough pressure).

Tacchinardi went down "injured" for a while, not for the last time.

A slip from Toure, stretching to try to cut out a diangonal ball froward for Forlan on their left, let the former Man U striker in. Lehmann was dragged a bit wide, dangerously so as Forlan was able to hit a cross past him. But the keeper managed to get a (possibly crucial) hand to it which helped the ball fall to Toure who hoofed clear from just in front of the penalty spot.

On 37, Henry got to the goal-line and hgis cross beat the keeper but also beat Freddie coming in at the near post - it came through to a defender who cleared at the far post again under not enough pressure. We were getting a lot of action from deep on that left hand side.

Arzo went down like a sack of spuds after a good challenge from Pires. Already you could see that the ref wasn't falling for their falling.

With 5 minutes till the break, Henry won a corner again on the left. He took it and it was headed clear, but coming back to Henry who'd drifted upfield. He collected the ball on the touchline level with the edge of the box and brought it infield past that corner of the box before slipping a beautiful reverse pass straight upfield for Hleb who was lurking in the box on that side and who'd done well not to stray offside. Hleb took it to the goal-line and drove a low cross across the face of goal where Toure was on hand to stretch out and get his toe on the ball before a defender, turning it in for 1-0.

Another long-range free kick from Riquelme went straight at Lehmann again who parried it out. There was a bit of a scramble before we cleared the ball from our box, then Riquelme was booked. I had no idea why at the time but am told that he was complaining about the ref not awarding a penalty in that scramble, when Jose Mari was fouled by Gilberto. Tough lines matey. Jose Mari had been as guilty as any in the falling down for nothing stakes, which must have primed the ref for not being quick to award such fouls.

In first half injury time, Eboue went on a terrific run, bringing the ball in from the right wing, but at the crucial moment he touched the ball on a tad too far and lost it.

Early in the second half, we broke through Freddie and Thierry. Freddie took it on down the left and hit a poor cross which was easily cut out. But we won it straight back and Hleb chipped the ball into the box from the right - finding the head of Henry who could only send it looping forward tamely for the keeper.

Then Taccinardi hit a long-range shot which was always swerving wide, and a minute later a nice move infield from our left wing ended with Cesc squaring for Gilberto who hit a similarly swerving, rising, and off-target shot.

On 50 mins, Senderos charged forward and tried a shot from 20 yards which looked to be heading well wide when blocked after a short distance. He fouled, they took it quickly, and could have posed quite a threat if the final diagonal ball hadn't totally mis-judged the direction of Forlan's run into the box.

The yellow submarines started to get a bit more possession inside our half. Senna hit a low shot which was deflected for a corner on their right. It was flicked on at the near post but well cleared by Toure, hoofing the ball out of the goalmouth from just in front of the line. As we came out, Taccinardi had a little kick at Gilberto off the ball. Understandable really - Gilberto had had Riqeulme in his pocket virtually the whole game, and this more than anything was preventing them from getting any particularly nice attacking moves together.

Then Gilberto was loose on the ball in midfield and gave it away. They attacked but again the diagonal final ball missed the run of Forlan - not by so much this time but Lehmann was alert and collected with confidence - making the moment look much more comfortable than it was.

Franco, wearing the 99 shirt, came on for Jose Mari and turned out to be almost as much of a flake.

On 56, great work from Hleb and Bobby up the right got the ball to Eboue on the right of the box. He took it a yard or 2 short of the goal-line then drilled a low shot square across the box. It was heading behind Henry and he had to reach a foot back to get to it. It was difficult in that position, at that pace, , but he managed to turn the ball goalwards, trying to loop it over the defender between him and goal but not quite getting enough on it. Nice effort though.

Hleb again played a key role, this time combining with Cesc before slipping the ball through for Henry. He tried to place his early shot from just inside the box, instead of using power, and it went too close to the keeper (who nearly fumbled it anyway).

Then Hleb had a go on his own with a terrific dribble upfield, ending when Taccinardi hacked him down and, finally, was shown the yellow card which means their most experienced player misses the second leg through suspension. Cesc took the free kick and found Toure's head just inside the box - he glanced it on but it was another easy take for their keeper.

Eboue did a very cute scoop of the ball into the box on the right but Hleb, running on to it, was given offside.

Then Eboue went on another great run and with space opening up in front of him he did what he often does, and needs to learn to do less, and instead of using the space created by the runs of his teammates he looked to find one of them - and Bobby had strayed offside.

Halfway through the second half now, Senna hit a good shot from 25 yards which was going just wide but Lehmann couldn't be sure and he made a good stop as the ball bounced just in front of him.

More great reffing as the official had a go at Arrubarrenna for rolling around unnecessarily on the floor. Great spot by the ref in fact, as the defender got straight up showing no ill effects of whatever it was which had stricken him 2 seconds earlier.

A dangerous diagonal ball forward for Forlan was again dealt with decisively by Lehmann, coming out of his book to boot it upfield and into touch. We were dealing pretty well with everything they could throw at us, but Villarreal were coming forward more and more.

With 10 minutes to go Arsene Wenger decided it was time for change, but the specific changes: Dennis Bergkamp and Robin van Persie coming on for Hleb and Ljungberg, were a surprise. Dennis went to the right wing where he's less effective than through the middle, and where Hleb had been combining so well again with Eboue. Why not Dennis to the middle and Bobby wide right? And Cesc seemed to be tiring in a particular important position in relation to keeping the visitors at bay, and where we had Abou Diaby ready to come on with fresh and long legs. Well, who am I to question the great man's choices? It worked in the end, but I'm pretty sure it didn't make the last 10 minutes any less nerve-wracking!

Riquelme won a free kick off of Gilberto on their left wing, which the Argentinian took himself, finding a yellow head in the box but Arrubarrenna put it over the bar and had been offside anyway. Franco got shown a yellow card for mouthing off at the ref.

On 88, Henry did well to rob Alvarez not far outside the right hand corner of their box, the Villarreal defender (and captain) having been dallying stupidly on the ball. Alvarez hacked Henry down from behind as he looked to accelerate away towards goal. Bergkamp swung the free kick into the box and it was cleared (after a possible handball by a defender) and came back out to Dennis. He whipped it through the box again, this time just missing Toure at the far post - who might have lunged for it more but was probably unsighted by a defender's presence just in front of him.

The 4th official's board went up showing 5 minutes of added time. Oh how gutting it'd be to concede in that time which had been added mainly because of Villarreal's time-wasting injury-feigning antics (they made Jose Antonio Reyes look like a saint).

Senderos was lucky that the ref didn't see a bit of shirt-pulling on Forlan as the striker tried to get to a through ball in our box, and Toure came across to help out and clear. Riquelme hit a shot wide from 25 yards. Then we got a free kick, 35 yards from their goal on the left, and when van Persie swung it way beyond the far post Henry rose to head back across theface of goal. There was a bit of pinball in the box but in the end an offside was given. Calleja came on for Forlan, a final substitution suggesting that the Villarreal coach was happy to take a 1-0 loss back to Spain. But then they won a free kick in a dangerous position to the right of our box.

Fair play, once again, to the ref. Rather than let Villarreal take advantage of the time gained by their time-wasting, he blew the final whistle on the dot of 5 minutes, denying them the chance to take that free kick. Great stuff.

There's a good chance that both managers would have taken this result if offered before the game. Villarreal are used to having to scrape through, and have a decent defensive record at home. But from our point of view, it's worth noting that they've tended to scrape through on away goals, and that ain't going to happen this time.