Wenger happy to be underdog

Ray Parlour scored a well-deserved winner last night in the quarterfinal, first leg, of the Champions League, against a highly rated Valencia side.

It was a thunderous 60th minute belter from 30 yards out the sort of shot you would normally associate with the likes of Figo or Roberto Carlos, rather than the Gunners workhorse which put us right back into contention for a semi-final place, after going 1-0 behind in the first half. A very happy Arsene Wenger said: "It was a fantastic goal by Ray, probably the best I've ever seen from him. We have scored two goals yet we still have regrets &.We missed some very good chances and three or four goals were possible.

One of those missed chances was Patrick Vieiras bullet of a header, which hit Valencias bar in the 14th minute, rising well over the impressive Pellegrino. This was the culmination of some excellent passing and pressure-play in the opening 20 minutes. But Wenger should also remember that our opponents missed some chances as well. Poor finishing by Carew and Sanchez kept us in the game, as did an incredible tackle by David Seaman, who seems to have hit a rich vein of form just at the right time.

Teams like Valencia dont miss all night and they got the opener, probably deserved, five minutes from half time. As we struggled to clear an awkward Mendieta cross, Ayala volleyed the loose ball into the back of our net from just 8 yards out. From 1-0 down in the first half things were looking grim. The substitution of Ljungberg for Wiltord at half time saw a transformation in the side: Most importantly Viera and Parlour played to their potential, making penetrating runs through the centre of midfield, pushing Valencia further and further back into their own half. This pressure gave KANU, Henry, Wiltord and Pires more time to pick their runs and whilst Valencia still looked dangerous on the counterattack, an equaliser seemed imminent.

An uncharacteristic miscontrol, on 58 minutes, by KANU (the most underrated talent in the UK, and by far the best ball player on the pitch) had confused Valencias defence. Pires instantly saw the opportunity to take advantage of their confusion and cleverly back-heeled toward Henry who was on it in a flash, off-side, no, one-all. Two minutes later, Parlour strode out of a challenge from Pellegrino and powered on toward goal. He unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 yards that seemed to swerve mid-flight beyond the reach of Canizares.

We could have scored more, as Wenger lamented. Valencia seemed to be in a state of shock at conceding two goals (a very rare occurrence for them apparently) and Henry nearly capitalised on this in the 65th minute going one-on-one with Canizares. Unfortunately his touch was poor and he managed to trip himself up rather than finishing the Spaniards off. Wenger concurred with most pundits by saying: "The tie is still very open but we are not the favourites. Valencia have a huge advantage with that away goal. I would argue that we have good cause to be a bit more bullish than this. A 2-1 lead provides a clear advantage, albeit a slender one; in that they have to win to stay in the competition. They have to attack us, and we have great players in counter-attack. For commentators to say our chances are slim assumes we are not capable of scoring over there. If we do score, and on tonights performance there is every reason to think we can, Valencia have a real problem on their hands.

Granted, the chances of victory there do seem remote: Valencias track record in this competition is exemplary: only 2 defeats in 13 European outings and conceding just six goals in the competition so far. More remarkable is that they have not been beaten in 16 European Cup matches at home. However, if our midfield puts in a performance like that again in two weeks time, maybe it will be the Spaniards first defeat at home in 17 European games it has to happen eventually!

In short, a draw, or better in two weeks would pit us against Leeds United (unless Deportivo overhaul a three goal deficit at home) the form English team in this competition. And if you need more reasons to feel confident that this is a realistic possibility, here are 5 more good ones: Seaman, Adams, Keown, Dixon and Cole outstanding in the face of adversity.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Cole, Ljungberg (Wiltord 46), Vieira, Parlour, Pires, Henry and Kanu (Lauren 84).
Valencia: Canizares, Angloma, Pellegrino, Ayala, Carboni, Kily Gonzalez, Mendieta (Vicente 89), Aimar (Angulo 68), Baraja, Carew and Sanchez.