Arsenal's Euro woes continue

Dynamo Kiev 2 Arsenal 1

Top of the Premier League but bottom of their Champions League group and now in serious danger of elimination, Arsenal’s European travel sickness continues to afflict them with no immediate sign of any cure.

Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat away to Dynamo Kiev did not certainly eliminate them, but it ensured that victories in each of their three remaining group games is now a necessity if they are to reach the knock-out stages.

Newcastle may have managed such an escape last season from an even more precarious position but the omens for Arsene Wenger’s side are not good.

Their last Champions League victory was now nine games and almost 11 months ago and their final group tie is away to Inter Milan.

Although Robert Pires struck the crossbar early on, Arsenal went behind on 27 minutes as Maksim Shatskikh punished some hesitant defending, albeit amid a suspicion of offside.

Valentin Belkevich put Dynamo further ahead in the second-half after an awful mistake by keeper Jens Lehmann but Thierry Henry gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope with a strike 10 minutes from time, which was tellingly the club’s first goal in the competition this season.

The Gunners came agonisingly close to a late equaliser, with Kolo Toure striking the bar from close range, but, yet again, there was no happy ending for Wenger’s side.

Lokomotiv Moscow’s unexpected 3-0 victory at home to Inter Milan earlier his evening may have left the group wide open, but the onus was still on Arsenal to make the most of it.

This defeat leaves them rooted to the bottom of the group with just one point, three points behind Lokomotiv, four behind Dynamo and five behind Inter.

Wenger was certainly bold in his approach, springing a tactical surprise as Pires lined up just behind the front two even though Patrick Vieira was ruled out of the starting line-up through injury.

Arsenal made much of the early running, with Pires flicking a header against the crossbar from Henry’s eighth-minute corner, but they were soon indebted to Lehmann’s reflexes as he denied Shatskikh after the striker had turned Kolo Toure.

That was the signal for a spell of frenzied pressure from Dynamo and for all of Ray Parlour’s enthusiasm as he twice shot wide, Arsenal were inevitably missing Vieira’s guidance and inspiration.

Arsenal continued to press and an excellent move in which Lauren exchanged passes with both Henry and Pires ended with the full-back’s shot being deflected just past the post.

Fortune has never seemed to favour Arsenal in the Champions League, however, and so it proved again as Dynamo seized the lead amid a suspicion of offside.

Edu was guilty of dithering as he failed to cut out a loose ball and when Erko Leko’s shot deflected off the heel of Shatskikh and then back to him off a defender, it looked as though the Dynamo striker had been marginally offside before burying his shot past the exposed figure of Lehmann.

Henry threatened briefly at the other end, while Toure just failed to connect with a corner, but Arsenal were back under pressure as Cole had to clear a dangerous cross and then Lehmann tipped over a drive from Tiberiu Ghioane.

Arsenal had an immediate chance to haul themselves back into contention after the interval only for Ashley Cole to hack his shot wildly off target after being put through by Sol Campbell, while Henry’s far post header was blocked.

Vieira was eventually brought on to replace Edu and Pires came close to equalising, only for Arsenal to fall further behind soon afterwards.

This time, Lehmann was badly at fault as he raced wildly out of his penalty area to meet a through-ball but only to miscontrol it at the vital moment.

When the ball bounced off his chest, the German just managed to beat substitute Diogo Rincon to it but succeeded only in diverting it as far as Belkevich, who drove his shot home with Lehmann still out of his goal.

Arsenal had another chance of making a game of it, when Vieira put through Wiltord, but the striker’s shot was saved by the keeper’s legs.

Wenger had no choice but to bring on both Fredrik Lungberg and Kanu in a bid to salvage a point and Arsenal were finally given some renewed hope with 10 minutes left as Henry was able to convert Pires’ cross from close-range.

Dynamo, meanwhile, wasted a clear chance to make sure of victory when Diogo Rincon blazed a shot wildly over the bar, while Shatskikh also came within inches of the target.

But for all of Arsenal’s late pressure as they desperately sought an equaliser, with Kanu denied by the keeper’s legs deep into injury-time and Toure banging his fists on the floor in deep frustration as his close-range effort struck the bar, their European woes continued.

Next stop Highbury for the return fixture against Dynamo but nothing less than victory will now suffice.