Arsenal secured a late win over Sporting CP in the quarter-final of the Champions League.
It wasn’t a vintage performance from Mikel Arteta’s side by any means. Even though they dominated large parts of the game, they seemed cautious and didn’t take any risks.
That annoyed many people, but the Arsenal manager had the last laugh in the end as Kai Havertz gave them the win in the 91st minute of the game.
All the pundits analysed the game like they usually do, but Thierry Henry didn’t want to say much despite watching the clash in Portugal.
🚨 Who played the biggest role in Arsenal’s 1-0 win vs Sporting?
Thierry Henry says he will ‘talk at the end’ after Arsenal beat Sporting CP
A win against Sporting CP at the Estadio Jose Alvalade is no mean feat.
The Portuguese champions had only lost one game at home all season, and that came back in August against Porto. They even beat PSG in the Champions League earlier this campaign.
It was never going to be a game where Arsenal could just turn up and get the win without breaking a sweat.
They had to work hard, suffer at times and find a way to win, and they did just that. Havertz’s lovely strike late in the game sealed the win.
After the win, you would imagine that Arsenal legend Henry would’ve been delighted, but the Frenchman barely said anything.
On CBS Sports, Kate Scott asked what Henry felt about the performance and whether he was satisfied with how Arsenal played.
He replied: “I told you, they won away from home, let’s see what they can do at the Emirates.
“I will talk at the end.”
Predict the score of Arsenal vs Sporting CP second leg👀
Arsenal’s win against Sporting CP deserves praise, not criticism
The reaction to Arsenal’s win over Sporting from most sections of the media and even some people in the fan base has been really negative.
There have been a lot of complaints about the style of play on Tuesday night, but that’s just silly.
Knockout games in the Champions League usually are slower, and it is no surprise at all that Arsenal didn’t go all-out attack in the first leg away from home.
The Gunners were right to be cautious, lean on their defensive solidity and nick a goal at the other end of the pitch to take something back to the Emirates.
Even a draw would’ve been a decent result, but a win puts Arsenal in a great position to make it into the semi-final of the Champions League.
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