UEFA Champions League 2016/17: Arsenal 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain - 5 Talking Points
It was honours even for Arsenal and PSG after an enthralling ninety minutes of action. Edinson Cavani continued his fantastic goalscoring form, tapping into an empty net to give the French side the lead. The Gunners responded, though, and levelled proceedings through an Olivier Giroud penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Arsene Wenger’s men came flying out of the blocks in the second half and took the game to PSG as they searched for a winner. It looked to have arrived when Marquinhos’ clearance struck Verratti and ended up in the back of the net. It was not to be for Wenger’s men, however, as a shocking piece of defending from Alex Iwobi allowed a Lucas header to nestle in the goal for PSG’s equaliser.
Unai Emery’s side arguably had the better chances to win the game, but like in the first leg, their finishing let them down. Ultimately, the French side will be the happier, though, as they now sit on top of group A going into the final game week, courtesy their superior head to head over Arsenal.
On that note, take a look at 5 of the most important talking points from the match:
#1 Penalty shouts galore
Arsenal had a shout for a penalty when Aaron Ramsey took a tumble under pressure from Thiago Silva. The referee, however, was having none of it and the game progressed. Just minutes later, it was Alexis Sanchez who fell to the turf and this time, the referee, with some help from his assistant, pointed to the spot much to the horror of the PSG players.
On seeing the replay, it was clear that Krychowiak made no contact whatsoever with the Chilean and that Sanchez had taken a clear dive. Olivier Giroud went on to convert, and Arsenal went into the break level.
The second half saw a couple more claims for spot kicks as Edinson Cavani was sent sprawling under pressure from Laurent Koscielny. Again, nothing was given, and this time, the referee made the right decision as Koscielny hardly touched the Uruguayan. Arsenal had another shout when a Ramsey strike hit Matuidi’s shoulder, but yet again, nothing was given.