Barcelona came away from Emirates with an impressive 2-0 away win courtesy a brace from Lionel Messi. Arsenal had a thorough game plan, which was working well until the 70th minute mark, when an irresistible counter-attack from the deadly MSN opened the game completely.
From that point on, Barcelona looked really threatening and carved our spaces in behind the Arsenal defense. Their pressure was rewarded with a horrific error from Mathieu Flamini allowing Messi to score from a penalty and extend Barcelona’s advantage.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 – Key Talking Points
At the end of 90 minutes at Emirates, there were to plenty to talk about and we take a look at those points as we discuss the things learned and key talking points from Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Arsenal last night.
Tie is as good as over
Expecting Arsenal to come back from a 2-0 deficit at Camp Nou will be over expecting from the Gunners, who do not have squad strength to hold off Barcelona for 90 minutes and beyond. Messi’s second goal could be the killer blow for Arsenal, which they might not recover from.
You cannot switch for a split second against MSN
It took 16 seconds for Neymar-Suarez-Messi to break and finish a stunning counter-attacking move. While it was painful for Arsenal fans to witness, one must give the credit where it is due. The MSN trio are playing at the very peak of their powers, and it will take some beating them this season.
Mathieu Flamini’s Arsenal career is over
Not only Flamini threw away the game last night and tie with it, but he also ended his Arsenal career with that wild kick at the ball which brought down Messi. There were talks of him along with Arteta and Rosicky being shown the door next season, well that move might have sealed his fate for good.
Barcelona’s defense is still under the radar
When a team has players like Messi, Suarez and Neymar, you do not tend to focus on the defending a lot. Barcelona for instance are still not fully tested against a well drilled attacking side like Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.
Their central defense is still a cause of concern and the way, Dani Alves likes to wonder about in central midfield, there is plenty of room for good teams to get at them.
I agree on the point that, they are playing some sensational football at the moment, but they are still a step away from being called The Invincibles.
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