Arsenal 1 : 3 Monaco - Ex-Tottenham star stuns dismal Gunners

Posted Thursday, February 26, 2015 by Talksport.co.uk

Arsenal's Champions League hopes hang by a thread after former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov came back to haunt the Gunners in a dismal night at the Emirates Stadium.

The ex-Spurs star enjoyed his return to north London as Monaco ran out 3-1 winners in the first leg of their last-16 tie, while boos rang out from the stands at the final whistle following a shocking defensive performance from the hosts.

Monaco were the team everyone wanted in the last-16 draw, and it seemed Arsene Wenger's side would have the easiest task of the three English teams left in the competition to progress to the quarter-finals.

But the French outfit, who finished top of their group, shocked the hosts with a clinical counter-attacking performance, with Geoffrey Kondogbia opening the scoring shortly before half-time with a deflected strike.

The midfielder was given far too much space and time by Arsenal's back-four before letting fly from long-range, with his effort ricocheting off Per Mertesacker on its way past a rooted David Ospina.

If the hosts' defence was caught napping for the first goal, they went completely AWOL for the second, as another lapse allowed the visitors to double their lead in the second-half.

Arsenal had gone close straight from the re-start with Olivier Giroud firing wide after a dazzling run from Alexis Sanchez, but they were left utterly hopeless on the break, with French youngster Anthony Martial surging forward before slipping a pass to Berbatov who finished off the move with a thumping strike.

The Gunners had chances to reduce the deficit but seemed to lack concentration, as Giroud fired over the bar with an empty net at his mercy, while substitute Theo Walcott saw a shot saved and then inadvertently blocked team-mate Danny Welbeck's follow-up.

Monaco then began to toy with the hosts' defence but wasted some really decent chances to add to their lead, with winger Yannick Ferreira-Carrassco firing wide when he could have squared to a team-mate to tap into an open goal.

And, out of nowhere, it seemed substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had restored some hope for Arsenal with a superb 90th minute strike; the England winger curling a shot into the top corner from outside the box.

It was a moment of magic from the forward, but the high from his strike lasted no longer than three minutes as, after their defence was pulled apart once again, Ferreira Carrasco added Monaco's third in stoppage-time to leave the Gunners' European chances in tatters.

Meanwhile, a classy long-range hit from Hakan Calhanoglu handed Bayer Leverkusen the initiative in their last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid, with the Bundesliga side beating last season's finalists 1-0 in Germany.