Arsenal Make a Miraculous Comeback To Keep Hopes Alive in Europe

People expected it to be a match for the ages, and neither team disappointed.

It was a match where Barcelona were the favorites, and rightfully so. Barcelona were dominant for the majority of the game, but just when Arsenal needed to be more efficient and consistent than dominant, they delivered with brilliance.

Barcelona were playing with a complete, fully fit squad, with the exception of Iniesta, while Arsenal were playing with a half injured Arsenal squad, and the game showed that indeed was the case.

Barcelona played attacking football right from the whistle, and could've scored three or four goals, but Almunia's heroics saved Arsenal and made sure they were still in it.

Later on in the first half, Arshavin was injured and substituted, and Gallas followed soon after, which is a worrying matter, seeing how they were injured and rushed in to play in the game.

Wenger made a gamble, and it seemed like a total miss.

In less than 40 minutes, Arsenal made two substitutions and were playing with a half injured squad.

And to add insult to injury, Fabregas received a false yellow card after making a correct tackle on Besquets, to ensure that the Arsenal captain wasn't going home and play in front of his family in the Nou Camp.

In the second half, after 46 seconds, Ibrahimovic scored and Almunia was to be blamed for his immature run of his line.

Like I said in my last article, Almunia makes crucial saves, but also makes crucial mistakes.

Soon after, Xavi played a great ball to Ibrahimovic over the helpless Arsenal defence, mainly due to Vermaelen and Clichy getting caught out of position.

Barcelona were playing with their first 11, while Arsenal were playing with Song as a centre back, and Denilson in the middle of the park, proving that Arsenal were experiencing one of the worst scenarios possible in football.

But the Gunners came back from the grave, and shocked Barcelona and the whole world, when Wenger went for broke, and introduced Theo Walcott in the game.

Walcott made his impact right away, toying with Maxwell and giving Arsenal hope that indeed, a half injured Arsenal squad can take on the current champions.

Walcott received a great through ball from Bendtner, and the road runner made no mistakes, and fired one past Valdes, to give Arsenal fans a reason to rejoice.

Arsenal then smelled blood and knew that it wasn't over just yet. The Gunners finally had control of the ball, and in the end they were able to score the second goal from a well-struck penalty taken by Fabregas, who was marvelous throughout this game.

Despite not being in his best form at all, Fabregas played even better after receiving that harsh yellow card, and led his team by example, wanting to prove to everyone that he made the right choice when he joined Arsenal.

After receiving the yellow card, Fabregas damaged Barcelona in a way that no one even anticipated.

The Arsenal captain made Pique receive a yellow card, making sure that he too will miss the return leg, and later on made Puyol receive a red card, also making sure that the Barcelona captain will miss the next game against Arsenal in the Nou Camp. Then, he scored the penalty beautifully.

Fabregas made sure that Barcelona's main centre backs are both out of the return leg through suspension.

Despite injuring himself while taking the penalty kick, Fabregas decided to spend the last few minutes in the game limping on the field, trying to help his team the best he can. No fan can ask more of his captain.

The Gunners came back from death, and made what no one thought was possible. With only 30 minutes left in the game, they tied it at two.

And despite that, Barcelona are still the favorites. But Arsenal have shown the viewers world wide, that you can have all your players, all the money in the world, and the most expensive striker in history, and you're still not guaranteed to win.

Barcelona are once again the favorites, and at the Nou Camp, one can expect hell, but Arsenal know what they will face.

David will have to fight Goliath again next week, and the Arsenal fans still have every right to dream of making it through.

And like Matthew Weiner from goal.com said:  "Don’t count Arsenal out of this quite yet. After all, whether they admit it or not, that seemed to be the mistake Barcelona made tonight at 2-0."

No matter what happens now, Arsenal fans can be proud of their players, who were able to escape a very early exit, and now the players need to handle the pressure at the Nou Camp.

Despite creating very few chances throughout the game, Arsenal today have taught the world a very valuable lesson.

Fortune favors the bold.