Arsenal:
            Lehmann
      Lauren Toure Cygan Cole
Pires Vieira Gilberto Reyes (Edu 77)
         Bergkamp Henry

Yes, we have been scoring a ridiculous number of goals so far this season. But we'd not met a team of the quality of PSV yet. And if you look back at last season there were plenty of close games, plenty of games where the opposition came to defend, where Arsenal found it hard to break them down, where the "passing the ball into the net" tactic failed and we didn't have a plan B. That's the way Arsenal play these days and while it results in a good number of spectacular wins, it also results in a good number of games where the result has to be ground out, where we get a lucky break and then cling onto it.

PSV had all their men behind the ball when we had the ball, and when they did attack they often kept 5 or 6 in their own half of the pitch. At least, until we went ahead they did, and they didn't get an awful lot more adventurous until the last 15 minutes or so.

Pires had a pretty quiet time on the right wing in place of the injured Ljungberg. So much so that there were some puzzled faces when Reyes was brought off instead, for Edu, with 13 minutes to go. But typically, Pires came to life at this moment and had a storming end to the game - popping up all over the pitch much as Reyes had been doing earlier.

The goal came 3 minutes before half time. Pires won a free kick near the right hand corner which Bergkamp swung into the box. Toure came flying in on the far side but a defender managed to nod it clear just in front of him. The ball went out wide left apparently safely to a PSV player. But Henry chased him to the touchline, 20 yards or so out from the corner flag, where he bullied the defender into falling over. Henry brought the ball forward to the goal-line, quite near to goal, skipping past a defender on the way, and drove a low cross across the face of the crowded goalmouth. It cannoned off the defender Alex and in. There was some suspicion that Vieira might claim it as he was very close to Alex. But Paddy confirmed after the game that he didn't get a touch.

Possibly the most fun we had all game involved the PSV keeper. He slipped once in front of the Clock End and we all had a good laugh. Then next time the ball came to him the "drum roll" went up from the Arsenal crowd as he set himself to take the kick, and he only went and slipped over again. Great fun. But what about that shirt? The keeper was wearing exactly the same kit (bright yellow shirt, black shorts) as the referee and linesmen. It was quite a surprise to see all 4 of them come out for the second half without any shirt changes. Surely someone must have noticed?

Predictably, PSV came into the game more and more as the second half progressed. But they never quite committed enough to leave us the kind of space to attack into that would have guaranteed a second Arsenal goal. Make no mistake, this was a very well organised PSV side who few if any teams in Europe will find easy to break down.

Pires had the ball in the net once in the second half but it was given offside (looked pretty close). We had a couple of very scary moments right near the end, with Gilberto, Cole and Toure all having to make crucial blocks.

The ref's reputation appears to have been undeserved. He may have sent 3 off in the Wales-NI match last week, but in this one he only took his cards out once - to book PSV full back Ooooijer.

Panaithinaikos won the other match 2-1, so we're second. But there's a long way to go. After last year, three points from the first game, a game which on paper looks arguably the hardest of the group, is a hell of a good start.

Incidentally, the official squad list on the UEFA site has all the expected names, plus Italian striker Arturo Lupoli and one that you've probably not heard of: Swiss midfielder/defender Johan Djourou. We suspect that the explanation is that unlike a few other candidates from the reserves, such as Quincy Owusu Abeye and Ryan Smith, Djourou does not qualify for the "B list" and so has been included in the 25 man "A list". See Champs League page for explanation of player eligibility and these A/B list things.

Rupe adds...
According to sources in Switzerland, Djourou could be another "Wenger special". A shit-hot defensive central midfielder with bundles of confidence - he's been told he could be the next Vieira.