Embattled Wenger’s £25m lifeline

WAS it the £25 million goal or the £25 million save?

Either way Arsene Wenger has so many reasons to thank goalscoring captain Robin van Persie and penalty-saving goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny for sending Arsenal through to today’s Champions League draw in his old stomping ground of Monaco.

For that is the minimum amount of cash Arsenal will generate from reaching the group stage of Europe’s elite competition for the 14th consecutive season.

There were rumours before kick-off, following Fenerbahce’s expulsion from the competition, that Arsenal might be reinstated in the competition should they be eliminated last night.

But UEFA put paid to those by confirming during the game that Trabzonspor would replace their fellow Turks.

That meant Arsenal had to look after their own affairs, which they did, winning 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregates and now Wenger can take his side to Old Trafford on Sunday and look Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the eye knowing he has kept his club dining on football’s top table in a week when many were calling for an end to his 15-year tenure in north London.

The blood-thirsty pack just might have had their wish with Wenger’s obituary at the ready as Arsenal went into this game against an in-form Udinese side on the very day Samir Nasri completed his big move to Manchester City, seemingly leaving the sinking ship not long after Cesc Fabregas escaped back to Barcelona.

No wonder the Arsenal boss hit back at the doom-mongers afterwards.

“We live in a society where everybody has an opinion on everything,” Wenger said.

“I’m like somebody who flies a plane for 30 years and I have to accept that somebody can come into the cockpit and thinks he can fly the plane better than I do. But that’s part of our job and we have to accept that.

“I just would like to say that the club is in overall a very strong position because tonight, for 15 years on the trot, we play in the Champions League. We have a new stadium and a fantastic training ground, a very good financial situation and a very strong team.”

Wenger admitted Szczesny’s penalty save was crucial.

“That was a turning point of the game,” Wenger said.

“You could see mentally it has an impact on their belief and they were not the same team after they missed the penalty.”

Wenger had injuries ravaging what he had left of a squad trying to defend their slender first leg lead.

Without a goal or a win from their opening two Premier League games would it be the end for Arsenal’s most successful ever manager? The answer from Wenger was an emphatic ‘no.’

But it looked like being so different early on this balmy, humid Italian evening.

Udinese and their inspirational captain Antonio di Natale had said winning this match would be like lifting the World Cup could he inspire an Italian win and he did his part to write the fairytale ending by giving his side a deserved half-time lead with an exquisite 39th minute header.

Wenger was living on a knife-edge during the break with possibly the most important team talk of his Arsenal career to deliver.

He also made a key switch by withdrawing teenage Champions League debutant Emmanuel Frimpong.

And whatever he did he was saved by a crucial 55th minute goal from Van Persie which was followed quickly by a stunning penalty save from young Polish keeper Szczesny. That left Udinese needing to score two goals in little over half an hour and this was an Arsenal side that did not look like blowing their big moment for their under-fire French manager.

Indeed, they went one better as Theo Walcott out the tie beyond doubt with a classy 69th minute goal to book Arsenal’s passage and send Italy’s fourth-best team crashing out in front of their own supporters.

Arsenal looked comfortable at the end with Wenger able to make the odd substitution with half an eye to the United match at the weekend.

Before then it had been all hands to the pump as Udinese got off to a flier from the outset and Wenger’s inexperienced side looked unsettled by the Italian’s bold opening.

Di Natale had already hit the woodwork twice when he looped in a sensational header from a Giampiero Pinzi pass to give Udinese the lead.

Arsenal survived by the skin of their teeth to still be in the tie at the break and that is when Wenger worked his magic to instil some belief in a team with five starting players aged 21 or younger.

They all grew in stature when captain Van Persie, banned from last week’s first leg, scored with assurance after Gervinho had delivered another perfect pull-back from the by-line following another mazy run.

The celebrations could only last for minutes, though, as Udinese went down the other end and won a penalty due to a Thomas Vermaelen handball. Di Natale stepped up and struck with the confidence one would expect from the top Serie A scorer of the past two seasons, but Szczesny’s full-stretch finger tip save was a world class piece of football.

That enabled Arsenal to relax and drew all of the puff out of Udinese’s team and left room for Walcott to exploit their need to get forward.

Emergency left-back Bacary Sagna was the provider with a neat through ball, but the England striker’s first time finish was straight out of the Thierry Henry goalscoring textbook.

And Wenger will not have minded that he later got himself booked and will miss the first game of the group stage. At least his team-mates and Wenger will be there to see it.

UDINESE (4-4-2): Handanovic 9; Ekstrand 6, Benatia 6, Danilo 6, Neuton 7; Isla 7, Agyemang-Badu 6, Asamoah 6, Armero 7; Pinzi 6 (Fabbrini 63, 6), Di Natale 8.

ARSENAL: Szczesny 8; Jenkinson 6, Djourou 5, Vermaelen 6, Sagna 5; Walcott 7 (Arshavin 90), Frimpong 7 (Rosicky 45, 5), Song 6, Ramsey 6, Gervinho 8 (Traore 86), van Persie 7.

Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (Portugal) 5/10