Bendtner blows away Gunners' gloom

A share of the points had begun to look attractive to Arsenal and the bounty they eventually enjoyed was a surprise as much as a pleasure, writes Kevin McCarra.

The old effortlessness is absent from Arsenal but after all the recent melodrama they are in no mood to apologise for the manner of their progress to the Champions League knockout phase. Any protests were being made with vehemence by Dynamo Kiev, who until three minutes from time had some hope of the victory that was, in effect, essential for them.

Then, there was a pause in the play since Johan Djourou lay injured and the referee Alain Hamer restarted the game sloppily by rolling possession to Cesc Fabregas instead of having a contested drop-ball. With Kiev presumably expecting possession to be returned to them, Arsenalï¿½s new captain released the substitute Nicklas Bendtner with a long pass and the Dane shot home at the near post.

Dynamo were distressed and Olexandr Aliyev, already cautioned, received a straight red card for nudging the Luxembourg official in his haste to take a free-kick. For Arsenal, of course, the goal had been soothing. Amid the uproar over the demotion of the outspoken captain William Gallas, it can be overlooked that Arsene Wenger currently has to do without nine injured players.

With their depleted line-up Arsenal appeared mundane. This win comes as respite rather than proof of remarkable potential that is normally hailed when the youngsters are given their head. Precocity, naturally, expresses itself more vividly in a mere Carling Cup tie than it does in a Champions League fixture.

For the moment Wenger must be happy enough that a win was wangled. Following the 3-0 crushing by Manchester City it would not be sensible to quibble over a helpful night.

There has been upheaval of late but the box office figures did not suggest it is a compelling spectacle. Quite a few seats were empty and, as the absentees had anticipated, there was a characterless tone to much of the contest. That was satisfactory to the Ukrainians, who were largely unruffled before those late incidents.

Wenger had attempted to spring a small surprise. The teenage forward Carlos Vela started in the ? Champions League for the first time, preferred to the more experienced Bendtner. Despite the introduction of the Mexican, there was no great freshness.

When Gallas threatened to galvanise the game he did so by accident, losing concentration and control of the ball after 38 minutes so that Ismael Bangoura could come racing in from the left for an effort that clipped the near post. Nonetheless, it looked as if Arsenal could come by a goal.

Robin van Persie has had a role in the clubï¿½s garish tale of the past few days, as a presumed target of Gallasï¿½s criticisms, but he was a model of industriousness. His 40th-minute free-kick, flighted with pace and accuracy, was put over the bar by the knee of Mikael Silvestre. The Dutchman was a constant threat at set pieces.

While Arsenal had none of the rhythm and freedom that distinguishes them at their best, they performed to a tolerable standard. Vela, a regular scorer in his first few outings with Mexico, was unlikely to experience stage fright and he had linked cleverly with the Welshman Aaron Ramsey, who drove against the goalkeeper, Stanislav Bogush, in the eighth minute.

Arsenal, all the same, could not sustain pressure. The visitors, somewhat unlucky not to beat Wengerï¿½s team when they drew 1-1 in Kiev, must have believed they were quietly making good progress. Without taking the initiative, there were signs that they might pose a danger on the break.

The match developed urgency and speed. Following a Fabregas free-kick in the 49th minute Van Persie had two attempts, the first being blocked and the next hitting Gallas. Nonetheless the visitors realised that it was the time for enterprise. They went forward in numbers and with a deeper conviction. There was a hint of peril in the way Bangoura made room for himself, although his finish raced wide.

Arsenal, too, would have noted the power in Aliyevï¿½s shot that cannoned off the chest of Manuel Almunia before being gathered by the goalkeeper at the second attempt. There was marked enterprise from the visitors who looked as if they were starting to remember that, earlier in this group, they had pulled off a win in Porto.

Short as Arsenal were of convincing alternatives, Wenger had to try to alter the nature of the match and he introduced Bendtner in place of Ramsey.

Arsenal had been declining steadily as Kiev recognised possibilities. The visitors might well have gone in front after 77 minutes but Artem Milevskiy blasted his effort against Almunia. A share of the points had begun to look attractive to Arsenal and the bounty they eventually enjoyed was a surprise as much as a pleasure.

THE RESULTSNovember 26

Anorthosis Famagusta 2 (Nicolaou 62, Savio 68) drew with Werder Bremen 2 (Diego pen-72, Hugo Almeida 87). Half-time: 0-0; Atletico Madrid 2 (Simao 14, Maxi 28) bt PSV Eindhoven 1 (Koevermans 47). Half-time: 2-0; Bordeaux 1 (Diarra 83) drew with Chelsea 1 (Anelka 60). Half-time: 0-0; CFR Cluj-Napoca 1 (Kone 30) lost to Roma 3 (Brighi 11 & 64, Totti 23). Half-time: 1-2; Inter Milan 0 lost to Panathinaikos 1 (Sarriegi 69). Half-time: 0-0; Liverpool 1 (Gerrard 23) bt Marseille 0. Half-time: 1-0; Shakhtar Donetsk 5 (Jadson 32, 65 & 73, Willian 50, Seleznyov 75) bt Basle 0. Half-time: 1-0; Sporting Lisbon 2 (Veloso 65, Liedson 66) lost to Barcelona 5 (Henry 14, Pique 17, Messi 50, Caneira o.g.-67, Bojan pen-73). Half-time: 0-2.

November 25

AaB Aalborg 2 (Caca 73, Caldwell o.g.-87) bt Celtic 1 (Robson 53). Half-time: 0-0; Arsenal 1 (Bendtner 87) bt Dynamo Kiev 0. Half-time: 0-0; BATE Borisov 0 lost to Real Madrid 1 (Raul 7). Half-time: 0-1; Bayern Munich 3 (Klose 57 & 71, Toni 61) bt Steaua Bucharest 0. Half-time: 0-0; Fenerbahce 1 (Kazim-Richards 64) lost to FC Porto 2 (Lopez 18 & 28). Half-time: 0-2; Fiorentina 1 (Gilardino 45) lost to Lyon 2 (Makoun 15, Benzema 27). Half-time: 1-2; Villarreal 0 drew with Manchester United 0; Zenit St. Petersburg 0 drew with Juventus 0.

ï¿½ Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008