Arsenal survive early scare

SOCCER Uefa Champions League/ Arsenal 3 Hamburg 1: If Arsene Wenger considers it a disaster to draw home games here in the Premiership against the likes of Middlesbrough and Everton, then what descriptions were racing through the Frenchman's head last night as Arsenal struggled to overcome Hamburg, a side that had won once in its previous 21 matches.

But then, with just six minutes left of an otherwise frustrating evening, Wenger and Arsenal said a relieved thank you to both Emmanuel Eboue and Hamburg's goalkeeper Stefan Wachter.

When Eboue put over an 84th-minute cross-cum-shot, Wachter, in a more competent moment, would have clutched it gladly. Instead the ball clipped the goal- keeper's elbow and Arsenal had superiority in the game for the first time.

Without that late intervention it is uncertain as to whether Julio Baptista would have added a glossy third on 87 minutes. Substitute Theo Walcott had a foot in both goals.

But the combination means that Arsenal leapt from third to first in the group. Qualification, however, is not guaranteed and there remains a hazardous trip to Oporto in a fortnight. It will have to be negotiated without Thierry Henry, booked needlessly here and now suspended.

That would have been a major focus but for the two late goals, but their arrival wiped out Rafael van der Vaart's fourth-minute opener. Even before a ball had been kicked by any Hamburg player, not just Van der Vaart, the night had begun unpromisingly for Arsenal. The result from Moscow not only tightened the pressure at the top of the group, it revealed Porto to be in good heart.

Arsenal on the other hand have stresses and strains of their own, though seven of this team started the European Cup final in May and an eighth, Mathieu Flamini, came on as a substitute against Barcelona.

True, Arsenal are experiencing hiccups but the expectation at kick-off was that this was so important, a red and white wave would wash over the Germans. Van der Vaart quickly put an end to that sort of blue-sky day-dreaming.

Designed in formation by manager Thomas Doll to be cagey, sprightly midfielders such as Raphael Wicky, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Van der Vaart also had licence to pelt forward when they could. At the first opportunity that was done and Flamini and Kolo Toure looked surprised by the vigour of lone striker Boubacar Sanogo and Van der Vaart.

When Sanogo won a 50-50 challenge, the ball slid away to Mahdavikia, who then tapped it back to Van der Vaart. The Dutchman sent Toure the wrong way with a shimmy and then beat Jens Lehmann from 20 yards with a beautiful shot that curled into the top corner. On the bench, Wenger grimaced.

Arsenal's response was swift and inches away from being enjoyably decisive. Aleksandr Hleb exchanged a neat one-two with Fabregas and, inside the area, Hleb sold a dummy and then struck the crossbar.

Arsenal had to get Henry more involved and when a precise Ljungberg pass found the captain straight after the interval, a free-kick followed and for a second it seemed as if Henry had replicated his effort against Newcastle. But it was the side-netting that was hit.

Henry's personal evening was about to worsen, with himself to blame, but before that Robin van Persie had supplied a cool finish with his right foot to round off slick passes from Hleb and Fabregas.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb (Julio Baptista 81), Fabregas, Flamini, Van Persie (Adebayor 70), Ljungberg (Walcott 75), Henry. Subs not used: Almunia, Silva, Djourou, Hoyte. Booked: Senderos, Hleb, Henry, Clichy.

HAMBURG: Wachter, Benjamin, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Atouba (Ljuboja 67), Mahdavikia (Feilhaber 45), Wicky (Lauth 87), Van der Vaart, Fillinger, Trochowski, Sanogo. Subs not used: Kirschstein, Jarolim, Berisha, Laas. Booked: Benjamin, Van der Vaart, Sanogo, Fillinger.

Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark).