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Ramsey strike wins it at the end

Ramsey strike wins it at the end


Ramsey strike wins it at the end

Aaron Ramsey's 92nd minute strike gave Arsenal all three points against Marseille in a hotly contested fixture at the Stade Velodrome.

This victory sees Arsenal move to the top of Group F, with only a victory required to ensure qualification to the knockout phase of the Champions League.

The first half was a nervy affair, played at a very high tempo by both teams. Song lost the ball in the 4th minute to Loic Remy and was forced to pick up a yellow card by fouling him to prevent him from having a clear run on goal. The resulting free kick saw Valbuena kick it directly to Wojciech Szczesny.

Arsenal's first chance of the game came in the 10th minute, when Walcott was freed down the right flank. The pacy winger put in a cross that van Persie could only glance on, sending it wide. However, the linesman had already raised his flag for an offside.

Soon, Benoit Cheyrou tried a volley from distance, but it flew safely over the bar.

Marseille had a strong penalty appeal in the 13th minute, when a cross into the box came off the arm of Carl Jekinson, but the referee deemed it unintentional and allowed play to continue on.

Arsenal pushed and had a series of corners awared to them in the 19th and 20th minutes. One of the corners clearly showed Souleymane Diawara handling the ball, but it missed everyone including the assistant referees behind the goal. Now both teams had a genuine penalty shout apiece.

Marseille had a good chance in the 31st minute, when Loic Remy skipped past Per Mertesacker and looked to shoot, only for Jenkinson to take a touch with a last ditch sliding tackle, sending the ball wide for a corner.

Marseille were looking strong and Arsenal had to thwart attacks by Loic Remy and Lucho Gonzalez to stay on level terms with the home team.

Andre Santos, who had earlier picked up a yellow card for a body check on Valbuena, escaped further punishment just before half time after he needlessly handled the ball on the left flank.

The second half started with Marseille on the attack again. Arsenal had a nervous moment in the 57th minute, when a Loic Remy cross was not cleared by Jenkinson, Mertesacker and Song. However, neither Gonzalez nor Ayew had a clear shot on goal and Jenkinson finally cleared.

Jenkinson was soon taken off for Djourou as he was suspected of having a slight knee problem

Walcott had a golden chance to put Arsenal in the lead in the 63rd minute. He took the ball from N'Koulou inside the penalty area, but hit the resulting shot straight at Mandanda, who made the save.

Walcott was having a misearble night and was soon replaced by Gervinho. He also brought on Aaron Ramsey and made him occupy the space behind van Persie, shifting Rosicky to the left.

With barely any time left on the clock, Djourou put in a cross from the right which Gervinho failed to control. However, the ball found its way to the incoming Ramsey, who shot past Steve Mandanda to give the Gunners a last minute lead.

This proved to be the final bit of action in the game as the referee blew for full time.