Arsenal Show Their Brilliant Best and Woeful Worst in 3-3 Draw with Anderlecht

THE EMIRATES STADIUM — At half-time on Tuesday evening, Arsenal's slow start to the 2014-15 season looked to be firmly in the rear-view mirror; the Gunners were riding the crest of a wave that'd seen them win three games on the trot, and they were 2-0 up against relative "minnows" Anderlecht.

But a final result of 3-3—borne from defensive lapses, concentration issues and a general easing off in the second half—saw a 3-0 lead held in the 58th minute evaporate into thin air. Aleksandar Mitrovic, a second-half substitute, headed the equalising goal in at the death after beating Per Mertesacker to a near-post cross.

An Alexis Sanchez-inspired home side had started so brightly and carved up the Purple & White's defensive structure with relative ease. They circumvented a blockade in front of their defensive line, with Sacha Kljestan and 17-year-old wonderkid Youri Tielemans shielding, and used clever combination play on the right flank to open the game up.

Calum Chambers and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's link-up play was borderline-telekinetic; once a few low crosses had caused chaos, the rest of the pitch opened up and the Gunners attacked at will.

Stretching the pitch vertically and horizontally is a key trait in a free-flowing, attacking side, and Arsenal achieved both via Chamberlain's corner runs, Danny Welbeck's movement and Alexis' dribbling.

Eventually Welbeck duped his marker into giving away a penalty, and once Anderlecht pushed up (a goal down) to force things, Mikel Arteta and Co. began dropping pinpoint passes in behind the defence for runners.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

At half-time, the game was done.

But a mind-boggling second-half showing, culminating in that unlikely Mitrovic equaliser, ensured the Gunners must wait to qualify for the latter stages and sit five points behind Borussia Dortmund in Group D. The enormity of the situation is perhaps in the latter point, not the former.

It's easy to throw the word naive around when describing Arsenal, but that's the very word for their second-half display. The 90-minute exhibition stands a microcosm for their season: just as they think they've settled and found a balanced set, a glaring error spreads doubt and raises questions.

"We had a poor defensive performance from the first to the last minute...it wasn't good enough," Arsene Wenger sighed in the post-match press conference.

In reality, they weren't under pressure until their midfield switched off mentally at 3-0. Wenger could also have tightened up the formation—moving away from a free-flowing model—and drilled his side to see out the result.

You don't see Bayern Munich surrendering three-goal leads; it's not the mark of a champion, and it's a tendency that will ensure Arsenal do not move past the Round of 16—a hump they fail to overcome every year.

Arsenal showed what they're capable of in attack in the first half now that Alexis Sanchez runs the show, but the same old frailties ruined what would have been a fantastic night.

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