Match Report: Arsenal 2 - 0 Marseille Wilshere double gives Arsenal victory over Marseille

                   

 Emirates Stadium – Arsenal 2 (Wilshere 1’ 65’) Marseille

Arsenal beat Marseille 2-0 after two goals from Jack Wilshere the Emirates.

Wilshere scored the only goal of the half in just 30 seconds. Bacary Sagna’s ball forward found Wilshere in space on the right wing. The England midfielder drove into the box, cut onto his left foot and curled a shot into the far corner.
Arsenal then dominated possession but did little with it. Aaron Ramsey failed to turn in a Wilshere cross, and the next real chance came when Nicolas N’Koulou tripped Ramsey outside the box, the referee wrongly awarding a penalty. Mesut Ozil had his poor penalty easily saved by Steve Mandanda.

On 65 minutes, Wilshere doubled his tally and Arsenal’s lead, when Ramsey’s neat pass for Ozil, bursting into the box, was pulled back by the German for Wilshere to slot past the ‘keeper.
The substitute Florian Thauvin went close as the game drew to a close to give Arsenal a scare, but Arsenal were always in control. The next round of games remains crucial.
KEY MOMENTS
PRE-MATCH – Valbuena and Thauvin are dropped to the bench as Marseille give up before kick off.
1’ – WILSHERE SCORES – Cutting in from the right, Wilshere opens the scoring with a fine shot, bent into the far corner.
37' – OZIL PENALTY MISS – Ambling up to take the penalty, Ozil’s lack of conviction allows Mandanda an easy save to his right.
65’ – WILSHERE’S BRACE – Ozil slides a ball across the area after Ramsey’s lovely pass, and Wilshere fires the ball past the keeper.
75’ – MONREAL SAVE – Florian Thauvin’s shot flies off Szczesny, and loops towards goal, but Nacho Monreal hooks it away.
KEY STATS
Marseille have lost their last eight Champions League matches.
Marseille have also conceded at least two goals in their last seven Champions League games.
With 12 points, Arsenal are still not guaranteed to progress to the knockout stages.
TALKING POINT: Is Ozil worth a starting place? He is evidently not a bad player, and it is probably a matter of time before he regains his early season form, but with Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla named as replacements today, he might be in danger of seeing the next few games from the substitutes' bench.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jack Wilshere (Arsenal): His team were always in control, but their attack was often blunt. Wilshere provided the calm finishing to ensure that they didn't need to panic as the match progressed.
PLAYER RATINGS
Arsenal: Szczesny 6, Sagna 7, Mertesacker 6, Koscielny 6, Monreal 6, Ramsey 7, Flamini 6, Wilshere 7, Ozil 6, Rosicky 6, Giroud 6. Subs: Arteta 6, Walcott 6, Cazorla 6.
Marseille: Mandanda 6, Abdallah 5, N'Koulou 6, Mendes 6, Morel 6, Lemina 5, Romao 6, Ayew 5, Imbula 5, Khelifa 5, Gignac 5. Subs: Cheyrou 5, Thauvin 6, Valbuena 6.