Five things that we learned about Arsenal last night

A 1-0 defeat in a Champions League semi-final is a damn good result when you know that you have the home leg to come - and when you consider that Arsenal have not conceded a single goal in the competition at Emirates Stadium all season.

However, this is Manchester United we're talking about and Arsene Wenger knows that his young Guns will have to step up their game if they are going to be involved in another match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome this campaign.

Alex Ferguson's men could have made it a more convincing margin had it not been for the heroics of Manuel Almunia as well as some excellent defending from Kolo Toure.

But it wasn't all negative for the Gunners. Here are five things us Addict editors learned from last night's trip to Old Trafford:

1. Kieran Gibbs is learning fast - will Gael Clichy be a shoe-in when he regains fitness or will the left back slot follow the Gilberto/Flamini situation last season?
 
2. Manuel Almunia can be world class. His goalkeeping last night was of the highest quality.
 
3. Manu Adebayor is a waste of space. His positioning was woeful, he is needlessly caught offside and his running off the ball to create chances was just non-existent last night.
 
4. Samir Nasri is wasted in big games playing deep.
 
5. Eduardo must start at the weekend - if he gets sharp and stays fit he could make a real difference. Bringing him on with just 10 minutes to play last night was too little too late. Adebayor should have been replaced much earlier, as his contribution was pathetic given what was at stake.
 
Arsenal used up all their luck last night - Ronaldo hitting the bar, Giggs was marginally ruled offside, while Silvestre headed over his own bar from a cross he knew nothing about.

But the dream of a return to Rome is still on and Arsene Wenger has five days to regroup his players and get them playing the kind of football we all know that they are capable of - and that we all know is capable of beating Manchester United.

What the papers say: Wenger confident that Arsenal will make United pay for missed chances

We're all about making your life easier here at Arsenal Addict, where our team of Addicted editors spend every spare second scrutinising news coverage to make sure you're kept up to date with what's going on at our beloved club. So if you don't have the time to trawl through the UK's national newspapers for Arsenal stories, be sure to check back here where we'll do the work for you.

The Sun - You will be sorry, Fergie
ARSENE WENGER last night warned Alex Ferguson: You will pay for Manchester United’s missed chances.

The Daily Mirror - Manuel Almunia keeps Arsenal in the tie as United draw first blood
A missed opportunity, a chance gone begging, one that got away. And if Manchester United do not run out in Rome next month, they will regret this Old Trafford night for the whole summer.

The Daily Mail - It's not enough, Fergie: You'll pay for misses - Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger last night warned Manchester United that they will regret their missed chances as a titanic Champions League semi-final first leg ended on a knife edge at Old Trafford.

The Daily Express - UNITED GO THE O’SHEA WAY
Sir Alex Ferguson said he would be happy with a 1-0 win – but then again he could never have expected such a one-sided game.

The Daily Star - EUR RUNNING OUT OF TIME NOW ARSENE
Arsene Wenger will not admit it these days. But a few years ago he is on record as saying if he never won the European Cup with Arsenal his coaching career would remain a failure.

Click to read more ...

Attack or be damned, Gunners!

I don’t know whether this would still be the biggest game Arsenal have played in three years had they reached the FA Cup final next month.

Caution, crazy mistakes and an unfathomable team selection put paid to our chances of playing again at Wembley in an FA Cup final we had every chance of winning, especially against the now-depleted Everton.

You can take it two ways – after another season of frustration, Arsenal’s fate, the fate of this squad and, as they say in Europe, the ‘project’ could rest on what happens in the next week.

Lose and a couple more of our major players may be tempted to move on and Arséne Wenger will have to start all over again. Another season of major rebuilding would be hard to stomach.

Or you could see it another way – that finally, Wenger deserves the vindication we Addicts have continued to show him – that his plans are coming to fruition.

Yep, he needs a couple more players to make the squad fully competitive, a new centre-back and a new forward, especially if Manu Adebayor leaves, as seems increasingly likely.

It’s a shame Carlos Vela hasn’t been given more air time, because I think he needs it and has the talent to become a proper player for us - and Eduardo's absence remains a mystery.

But tonight, could bes, should have dones and maybes are irrelevant.

Whether we want to accept it or not, true greatness, being part of the footballing elite, only really truly comes with victory in the biggest club competition in the world.

Wenger likes to remind us that we were half an hour from winning it in 2006 – but he didn’t react when Henrik Larsson came on and pulled our tired players apart.

The greatest manager in our history, Wenger’s legacy will never be complete without Champions League victory.

When you think that Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have won the trophy, albeit in days when it was perhaps less competitive, it makes its absence from our CV all the more galling.

We are the biggest team in southern England, the biggest team in London...take a look at history, Ch*vs...and one of the three biggest clubs in the mighty Premier League.

On paper, we don’t have much of a chance of beating M*nure over two legs.

There are a number of ways it could go tonight.

We could crumble under the pressure and let R*nald* and Co. tear us apart or maybe we could stifle them, get a few players booked including Cesc and maybe be a goal down for the second leg.

But I suspect a different outcome tonight. I believe the naivety of youth will benefit us.

No respect, United. The beauty of youth is that it knows no barriers.

Arséne, you had the handbrake on at Wembley. Don’t make the same mistake again.

Scouserpool showed what can happen when you attack United...hell, even T*tt*nh*m managed to get a couple of goals and they’re sh*t.

Attack or be damned.

Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Now is out time.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!