Arsenal lived on their nerves here last night as the qualities inherent in ArsΦne Wenger's attack strove to stay ahead of the shortcomings of his weakened defence. Ultimately, his team secured their first win in this season's Champions League, but, to the last, Schalke 04 were at their heels.

Schalke are the team supported by the U-boat crew in the German war epic, Das Boot. Certainly, their early Champions League aspirations were in as urgent need of fresh air as those of their opponents. Like Arsenal, Schalke had lost their opening game. Unlike Arsenal, they had lost it at home, 2-0 to Panathinaikos.

Arsenal's desire for a victory to balance their 1-0 defeat by Real Mallorca was tempered by the knowledge that a defence lacking the injured Tony Adams and Sol Campbell, plus the suspended Ashley Cole, required a degree of circumspection.

Either way, Patrick Vieira remained crucial to their hopes but Schalke were not bothered seriously by Arsenal's first attacking waves.

They had come to contain and counter-attack, largely through Andreas Moller, the mole in the hole, although the earliest threats to Arsenal came from the wings.

In the early stages Arsenal dominated territorially but that did not mean much so long as their centres and final passes lacked the quality needed to disturb seriously Schalke's masked Polish captain, Thomas Waldoch, who was protecting a broken nose, and his fellow defenders.

In fact, Schalke showed what was required after 18 minutes when Vermant instigated a neat, economic move which found the Nigerian Victor Agali bearing down on David Seaman only to shoot straight at the Arsenal goalkeeper.

There was a good shape and sound sense of organisation in Schalke's football. By comparison, Arsenal's game began to look ragged and untidy.

By half-time, Arsenal had scored twice through a combination of sheer luck and sheer class. Firstly Fredrik Ljungberg gathered a flick-on from Wiltord after Lauren had fed the ball in from the right. The Swede advanced against a retreating defence then tried a long shot which Oliver Reck would have saved easily had it not taken a sharp deflection off Waldoch to send the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Four minutes later Giovanni van Bronckhorst exchanged passes with Wiltord before laying the ball in to Thierry Henry whose shot beat Reck inside the left-hand post.

But then Wiltord carelessly lost possession near Arsenal's 18-yard line. Marco Van Hoogdalem drove a firm shot past Seaman after Agali's bicycle kick had failed to connect with Moller's lofted ball into the penalty area.

Arsenal restored their two-goal advantage moments into the second half when Reck, left alone to deal with the advancing Vieira, brought his man down.

A precise penalty from Henry and the cushion had been restored.

Schalke's second arrived shortly before the hour when Emile Mpenza surprised Martin Keown with a late run as Hajto centred from the right before beating Seaman with a diving header.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Seaman; Lauren, Keown, Grimandi, Van Bronckhorst; Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira, Pires; Wiltord, Henry.

SCHALKE 04: Reck; Hajto, Waldoch, Van Kerckhoven; Vermant, Oude Kamphuis,Van Hoogdalem, Bohme; Moller; Mpenza, Agali.

Referee: C Colombo (France).