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By CATHERINE ETOE
 
One-nil to the Arsenal

Champions League Semi-final first leg
Arsenal 1
Villarreal 0


A KOLO Toure goal gave Arsenal a slim advantage ahead of the second leg after the last night of European football at Highbury ended in a one-nil win.
A record-breaking nine clean sheets have now been recorded by Arsenal in the Champions League but they will be disappointed not to have a more comfortable advantage going into the away leg.
Arsenal took the lead four minutes before the break last night (Wednesday), Toure slotting Alexender Hleb’s slick cross past Mariano Barbosa in the Villarreal goal.
It was no more than the home side deserved. Arsenal’s backline may have been temporarily boosted by a stray squirrel in the opening minutes but he was not called into action against opponents more intent on stymieing Arsenal’s game than playing their own. The visitors were restricted in the first half to two long-range free kicks which their playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme hit directly at Jens Lehmann.
In contrast Arsenal had a hatful of chances, a Thierry Henry goal was disallowed for offside and Toure, Philippe Senderos and Robert Pires had all threatened.
It was less a case of when rather than if Arsenal would score and Senderos and Gilberto came close on 39 minutes, both taking a stab at a Cesc Fabregas corner.
Toure finally made the breakthrough three minutes later after a fine pass from Henry picked out Hleb. The three combined to effect in the second half, Hleb teeing up Toure whose cross clipped Henry but was headed away by Cesar Arzo.
Henry should have done better moments later when well-placed but his shot was too soft.
Villarreal finally drew a save from Lehmann after the hour when the otherwise poor Marcos Senna unleashed a blistering drive but the keeper smothered the shot and Villarreal’s only decent chance of an away advantage.
Looking towards the return match Toure said afterwards: “It’s going to be hard but we are in a good position to make it.”
 
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