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By HARRY BAMFORTH and SAMI MOKBEL AT THE EMIRATES and ISAAN KHAN AT THE EMIRATES and AADAM PATEL AT SIGNAL IDUNA PARK Published: 05: 00 AEDT, 12 December 2024 | Updated: 09: 43 AEDT, 12 December 2024 101 View comments Relive Mail Sport's live blog for the latest team news, updates and live score from the Champions League clash between Arsenal and Monaco at the Emirates. By Harry Bamforth Another night of European action has been and gone. It was the perfect night for Arsenal as they went third in the Champions League table with just two games to go. They certainly weren't at their best, but they didn't need to be as a brace from Bukayo Saka and a late Kai Havertz strike downed Monaco. Meanwhile, over in Dortmund, we were treated to a thriller. Five goals, a penalty, and a dramatic late winner. It had it all and it was Barcelona who came out on top in their battle with Borussia Dortmund. The Spanish side were twice pegged back but super sub Ferran Torres netted his second of the night with five minutes left on the clock to send them second. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I now need a lie down after that. I will be back once again tomorrow as we turn to UEFA's other two competitions. I'm sure I will see you all there. Until then, adios! By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta, Arsenal boss, speaking to TNT Sports: On Myles Lewis-Skelly: On Bukayo Saka: By Harry Bamforth More Bukayo Saka praise? Oh, go on then. I have pretty much said all I needed to say about Saka tonight, but he is due another post for one reason. That reason is that he has been awarded Player of the Match by UEFA. I mean, he was by far and away the best player on the pitch tonight, I couldn't think of anyone else who deserved it. And just look at that smile - Saka is one happy man. By Harry Bamforth Full-time results in the Champions League: By Harry Bamforth Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal full-back, speaking to TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Bukayo Saka is having one hell of a season, isn't he? Every week I feel like I end up praising him, but it's hard not too when he keeps delivering for the Gunners. Another two goals and an assist to his tallies tonight, and he looked like he was in second gear at times. He has now been involved in 10 goals in all competitions at the Emirates since the start of last season. He is notching up some pretty good numbers. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal fans, enjoy. .. That match must have been a tough watch for most of you, maybe frustrating in fact. But in the end, the Gunners got the job done and it was this goal from Kai Havertz that killed Monaco off. Not the best of strikes, but that doesn't exactly matter. By Harry Bamforth I am still out of breath after covering all of that. The goals were unrelenting toward the end of both games, I could hardly keep up. I shouldn't be complaining, it made for some brilliant entertainment, and boy did we need that after being put through the first 30 minutes of that second half at the Emirates. The Champions League always manages to deliver. By Aadam Patel At Signal Iduna Park By Harry Bamforth And breathe. .. What a second half of action and it's Barcelona that pick up the points thanks to super sub Ferran Torres. Twice they went ahead and twice they were pegged back by Borussia Dortmund. But this game just simply had to have a winner and Torres made sure it did five minutes from time. I need a lie down. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal pick up a valuable three points. It was hardly a vintage performance from the Gunners but that won't matter if it means they qualify for the knockout stages. Their second-half performance was pretty poor, but a second strike from Bukayo Saka and a late goal from Kai Havertz made it look comfortable in the end. I can assure you, it was far from that. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal are really purring now. They are flying forward at every opportunity and substitute Ethan Nwaneri sees his shot saved. Where was this the rest of the half? By Harry Bamforth That should be that! It's goals galore across Europe and Kai Havertz seals the three points for Arsenal. Bukayo Saka is involved yet again as he whips in a cross which Havertz finishes off. Job done. By Harry Bamforth This is incredible! Barcelona lead for the third time in this match and it's Ferran Torres at the double. The visitors are rapid in transition following a Borussia Dortmund corner and suddenly Torres is away. He pulls the ball across Gregor Kobel and into the bottom corner in style and then gets piled on by his team-mates. What. A. Game. By Harry Bamforth This has been such a bizarre night for Arsenal. The atmosphere in this stadium makes it feel like the Gunners are losing, mainly because of how poor they have been. But it's going to be three points and a clean sheet which is massive for them. Just one of those nights, I guess. By Harry Bamforth A christmas gift for Bukayo Saka! My word, Monaco have just handed Arsenal the victory with some atrocious defending. The goalkeeper and Mohammed Salisu get muddled up, the ball is played straight to Saka and he duly slides it into the back of the net. Arsenal really needed that. By Harry Bamforth That lead didn't last long! Serhou Guirassy does it again for Borussia Dortmund as they pull Barcelona back for the second time. The hosts beat the offside trap, get past Inaki Pena, and the ball is played to Guirassy to fire into an empty net. Signal Iduna Park goes bonkers again. By Harry Bamforth Barcelona back in front! Ferran Torres may never score an easier goal in his life but he celebrates it like it's his best. Fermin Lopez has a stunning strike saved but only as far as Torres who prods home from two yards out. A massive goal for the visitors. By Harry Bamforth Another game passes without Gabriel Jesus finding the back of the net. He certainly had more than a few chances to score but things aren't going his way at the moment. Now he is replaced by Kai Havertz with less than 20 minutes left on the clock. I wonder how he is feeling, he doesn't look happy. .. By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth I have not seen Arsenal play this poorly I some time. They can barely string a few passes together, it's utterly bizarre. Bukayo Sakla has just given the ball away when trying to run at the Monaco defense, which is very unlike him. They are all struggling. By Sami Mokbel At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Monaco should be level! Remember Breel Embolo? (FIFA players will do) Well, he is still knocking about in the Champions League. The striker comes within inches of an equaliser as he blasts a low drive toward the bottom corner. It veers slightly wide at the crucial moment. By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta turns to the bench. Myles Lewis-Skelly's full Champions League debut has come to an end as he is replaced by Jurrien Timber. Jorginho and Leandro Trossard also enter the action with Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli making way. By Harry Bamforth Things are getting a bit nervy at the Emirates. .. Monaco are starting to pile on the pressure and Takumi Minamino looks to cause some trouble. The ball comes his way in the area and he lets fly, but David Raya does well to get low and foil him. Monaco are looking the more likely at the moment. By Harry Bamforth Signal Idunak Park is absolutely rocking. You can nearly hear yourself think inside there with the noise they are making after that equaliser. Aadam if you're reading this, I hope your eardrums are OK. By Harry Bamforth I wish some of the carnage from Dortmund would work its way over to London. This second half has been really poor quality, Arsenal are letting Monaco have the ball but the French outfit don't look threatening. Not the best of matches, I have to be honest. By Harry Bamforth Now that is how you take a penalty! Serhou Guirassy makes no mistake from the spot, narrowing the ball low into the bottom left corner. Inaki Pena guesses the right way but has no chance, Guirassy gets so much power on the strike. Game on! By Harry Bamforth Pau Cubarsi, what are you doing? The Barcelona defender has gifted Borussia Dortmund an opportunity back into this game. The defender shoves Serhou Guirassy to the deck and the referee takes no time to point to the spot and give him a yellow card. Now Guirassy will step up. .. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal's defenders are finally being put to work. The Gunners have come out of the traps rather slowly in the second half and Monaco have their tails up. You can feel the frustration in the ground here. By Harry Bamforth Football can be cruel. .. At one end, Borussia Dortmund think they have gone 1-0 up only for it to be disallowed. Then Barcelona go up the other end and Raphina arrows them into the lead. It's a lovely finish from the Barcelona captain and it's exactly what the visitors deserve. We have a game on our hands now! By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth A huge let-off for Barcelona! Borussia Dortmund have the ball in the back of the net from the boot of Serhou Guirassy, but the flag is up. The striker smashes the ball into the roof of the net from close range from a Jamie Gittens cross, but the winger just went too early. But my word, he is speedy. By Harry Bamforth Now that would have been the perfect start to the second half for Monaco. Thilo Kehrer sends a bullet header toward goal from a free-kick and it flashes just wide of the post. It was one hell of an effort and for a second it looked like it would do some damage. But Arsenal survive. By Harry Bamforth Look who is back in England. .. Takumi Minamino has come on for Monaco at the break, what a throwback. Mikel Arteta has not made any changes surprisingly and Gabriel Martinelli lives to fight another day (for now). Anyway, we are back underway. By Harry Bamforth Jeez, that break went quickly. the two teams are back on the turf and we are ready to get back underway in Dortmund. Will there be a winner? By Harry Bamforth Martin Keown, former Arsenal defender, on TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Erm. .. I really don't know what to think about this. I know this is not really to do with the match, but I just saw it on social media and have to share. Icons of football clubs get murals painted quite regularly at top football clubs, but I wouldn't exactly call Nicolas Jover an icon. Yes, he has made a huge impact at the Gunners as set-piece coach, but come on. Murals are meant to be for legends of the game such as Tony Adams and Thierry Henry. I'm sorry to say, this is not for me. By Harry Bamforth Bukayo Saka just keeps on delivering for Arsenal. When the Gunners need him to shine, he does just that and now has 19-goal involvement in all competitions this season. Where would they be without him? Mohamed Salah is the only Premier League player to be involved in more goals this campaign. Not bad company. By Harry Bamforth Yes, Arsenal could have scored a bucket load in the first half, but the one they did score was a beauty. It's such a lovely team move and hats off to Myles Lewis-Skelly for getting the Gunners on their way. It was his pass that opened up Monaco before Gabriel Jesus and Saka combined to finish off the move. A lovely goal. By Aadam Patel At Signal Iduna Park By Harry Bamforth There goes the whistle. How Arsenal have only scored one goal in this match, I don't know. the Gunners could easily have four or five. However, it's just Bukayo Saka's strike that separates the sides at the break, despite Arsenal's dominance. This one is far from over. By Harry Bamforth Gabriel Martinelli is a very lucky boy. .. The winger is already on a yellow card and has just committed two fouls in the space of a minute. I'd be surprised id he isn't substituted at the break. .. By Harry Bamforth I'm not quite sure how we haven't had a goal in this match. Barcelona have been knocking at the door pretty hard but have not managed to find a breakthrough. Borussia Dortmund have hung in there and even had some chances of their own, but they have been by far second best. I'm sure we will see some goals in the second half. By Harry Bamforth This is getting ridiculous now. .. Arsenal miss another gilt-edge chance and this time it's Gabriel Martinelli. He is the latest player to miss the target when he should at least test the keeper. Arsenal could easily be 4-0 up. By Harry Bamforth Oh my word, how are Arsenal not 2-0 up? I'm genuinely in disbelief as Martin Odegaard misses one of the best chances he will be given all season. The captain is one-on-one but somehow drives his effort wide under very little pressure. I was already writing goal, that's how certain I was that he would score. Will the Gunners live to regret these misses? By Harry Bamforth Oooh, so close to a second. Gabriel Martinelli is another who is desperate for a goal and he comes within inches of finding one. He reacts brilliantly to arrow a half-volley towards the bottom corner but it flies just wide. By Harry Bamforth You just feel like this will be a precession now for Arsenal. Monaco are struggling to get out their own half and the hosts are just knocking it about under little pressure. The goals has also got the crowd going at last - it's no longer deadly silent. By Harry Bamforth Ally Mc Coist, former Rangers striker on TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Arsenal have scored from open play! The Gunners' patience has paid off as Bukayo Saka opens the scoring from close range. It all starts with Myles Lewis-Skelly as he fires a lovely pass into the feet of Gabriel Jesus. The Brazillian then bends a lovely ball to the back post where Saka is steaming in, and he simply can't miss from there. That will settle any nerves. By Harry Bamforth We have our first booking of the game. Gabriel Martinelli is the lucky recipient as he makes a silly challenge to stop the Monaco counter. A classic yellow card. By Harry Bamforth Will Gabriel Jesus ever score again? Absolutely nothing is going his way as he yet again finds himself in a scoring opportunity but does not take it. The ball breaks the striker's way and he drives into the box and once again he sees a low strike saved by Majecki. That's a really good stop from the keeper. By Harry Bamforth Gabriel Jesus, how have you not scored? Arsenal finally manage to get in behind Monaco and Jesus is sent through one-on-one. You just expect him to finish it off but he fires it straight at Majecki, and Monaco clear. Arsenal should be ahead. .. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal are having all the ball but absolutely no joy. Martin Odegaard once again decides to have a crack from distance because they just can't break the visitors down. They just need to be patient and actually provide a bit of quality that has been lacking so far. Bukayo Saka has barely had a kick. By Aadam Patel At Signal Iduna Park By Harry Bamforth Is that really you, Martin Odegaard? The Arsenal captain has a wand of a left-foot normally but he has just produced a terrible effort. He cuts inside onto his left on the edge of the box and sets his sights on the top left corner, but his strike bends miles wide. Not like him in the slightest. By Harry Bamforth The most entertaining part of this game at the moment is watching the Monaco fans in the corner. They are bouncing up and down and chanting non-stop, it looks like a party in the away end. By Harry Bamforth My word, this game is being played at a snail's pace. Arsenal aren't really knocking it about with any impetus, it's all too slow really. That's basically a nice way of saying they have not been very good so far and this has been a pretty pants game. I hope it changes. By Harry Bamforth Lamine Yamal, that is filthy! The young winner produces a stunning outside of the boot cross which falls perfectly into the path of Raphinha. The Barcelona captain reaches it and should score, but he can only squirt his effort wide. A gorgeous cross that deserved a goal. By Harry Bamforth So close to the opener! Monaco do really well to break the lines and make their way up to the Arsenal box. the Gunners fail to clear the danger when the ball is pumped into the box and it falls to Aleksandr Golovin. The midfielder sends a fizzing strike toward the bottom corner and it comes just whiskers away form the inside of the post. For a second, I thought that was in. By Harry Bamforth For some reason, the Emirates has gone so quiet. It's taken just nine minutes for the atmosphere to be sapped out of the stadium and I don't know why. It's supposed to be a big European night, come on! By Harry Bamforth Arsenal are starting to ramp up the pressure a little bit. Gabriel Jesus is involved again as he looks to get on the end of Gabriel Martinelli's fizzing low cross. But he just can't reach it in time and the chance goes begging. If he flung his foot forward a second earlier, that's a goal. By Harry Bamforth That's more like it, Gabriel Jesus! I spoke about how he needs to turn up tonight and he has had a decent start here. he pinches the ball from a Monaco defender just outside the visitors' box and then ius slid through by Martin Odegaard. He arrows the ball toward the near post but it's saved well. By Harry Bamforth This has not been the liveliest of starts, I won't lie. Neither side have been able to keep the ball so far, there has not been much of a rhythm to the play. It's only early days though, so I won't earn too much. Well, I won't promise anything. By Harry Bamforth The Emirates is in fine voice tonight. There is a huge roar from the stands as the ball gets rolling in north London. Can the Gunners secure a vital win? By Harry Bamforth Right, the time for talking is over in Germany. We are underway in a chilly Dortmund and this is set to be an absolute cracker. Well, I hope it is. By Harry Bamforth I'm gutted because the light show is over. .. Instead, we now have the Champions League anthem being blasted out of the speaker as the players walk out into a chilly Emirates. It's freezing, I'm telling you. Not too many players are wearing gloves, although the Arsenal players are sporting some stylish jackets. I wonder if they're available to buy, they're class! By Harry Bamforth Oh, I blooming love a light show. Arsenal are building the atmosphere with pyro and lights flashing all over the place. It's pretty snazzy, I must say. We are just moments away from the two teams arising from the tunnel and excitement is really building. The Emirates is bouncing. By Harry Bamforth Martin Keown, former Arsenal defender, on TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Look at Myles Lewis-Skelly, he is absolutely buzzing! It's just 15 minutes until the youngster makes his first-ever Champions League start. No wonder he is buzzing, I certainly would be. To be fair, I'm buzzing if I make a brilliant cup of tea - it doesn't take much to please me. By Aadam Patel At Signal Iduna Park By Harry Bamforth Now that's the spirit! Christmas is really not far away now and this fan is certainly feeling festive. Just look at that jumper. Supporting Arsenal is perfect for Christmas time because you can still get Christmassy and wear red. I love the festive vibes, I really do. By Harry Bamforth Martin Keown, former Arsenal defender, on TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Arsenal have only played Monaco twice and it's fair to say they won't want to be reminded of it. But I'm going to do it anyway, sorry Gunners. Arsene Wenger's Arsenal faced them in the round of 16 of the 2014-15 Champions League season. They were beaten 3-1 at the Emirates by the French outfit and even a 2-0 win for the Gunners in the second leg could not stop them from being knocked out. I would like to say that revenge will be on their mind, but let's be real, it won't. Still, they can make the record swing in their favour. By Sami Mokbel At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth I wonder how Myles Lewis-Skelly is feeling. .. It's not often that youngsters get an opportunity like he has tonight. To start in the Champions League aged just 18 is pretty crazy. When I was his age, I was still studying for my A-Levels. Lewis-Skelly is now the youngest player to start a UEFA Champions League match for Arsenal since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in September 2011. If he goes on to have anything like the career Oxlade-Chamberlain has had, he will be very successful. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Martin Keown, former Arsenal defender, on TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth Where to start with Gabriel Jesus. .. The Arsenal striker has not had the best of seasons for Arsenal and that is putting it lightly. He has only scored one goal in 18 appearances this season and that was against Preston in the Carabao Cup. So it's fair to say, his confidence is low. Jesus is in desperate need of a goal to give him his mojo back because there is no doubt that there is a good player in there. But he needs to show it. By Harry Bamforth At last, Monaco actually reveal their starting 11! I'm sure there are more than a few names in this Monaco team that you guys recognise. One of them will be Thilo Kehrer who used to play for Premier League side West Ham. Well, now he is captain of Monaco. Meanwhile, Liverpool's former forward Takumi Minamino has been dropped to the bench. By Harry Bamforth Manchester City have let a lot of their best young talents leave in the past few years. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Jadon Sancho have all left the north west of England for new ventures. Another to have followed in their footsteps is Jamie Gittens. He is currently shining in the yellow kit of Borussia Dortmund and will look to wreak havoc against Barcelona this evening. If you want to know more about him before the action gets underway, look no further, we have you covered. By Aadam Patel At Signal Iduna Park By Harry Bamforth Not many things in football are more impressive than the Yellow Wall. To be a part of it is pretty much a bucket list item for every football fan I know. It's iconic. The Yellow Wall has already filled up over an hour before kick-off tonight as they await the big clash with Barcelona. They are already making one hell of an atmosphere. By Isaan Khan At The Emirates By Harry Bamforth Borussia Dortmund's newest British star is back in action. Jamie Gittens has been taking the Bundesliga by storm this season in the absence of Jadon Sancho and we get the chance to see him shine yet again. I'm looking forward to it, are you? By Harry Bamforth Hansi Flick knows what his best side is, that's for sure. The Barcelona coach has decided to stick with the same 11 players who earned a point away at Real Betis at the weekend. It means we get to see more of Lamine Yamal ripping it up, so I am not complaining. By Harry Bamforth We have our answer! Jurrien Timber is not fit enough to start and settles for a place on the bench after missing training at the start of the week. Myles Lewis-Skelly replaces him in the starting 11 to make his full Champions League debut. Thomas Partey is fit enough to retain his position but there is no place for Gabriel or Riccardo Calafiori in the squad. By Harry Bamforth Oh, hello. .. It looks like a certain Jurrien Timber may be OK after all as he arrives at the Emirates looking ready for action. The injury situation isn't all bad then, eh> We will find out whether he starts or not in just a minute's time. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal and injuries have been a match made in heaven this season. The Gunners have not really had a full squad at their disposal all season, injuries have been a real problem. And it's not different this evening. .. Gabriel, Riccardo Calafirori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber, and Thomas Partey are all doubts for tonight's clash with Monaco after missing training. If they are all unavailable it leaves Mikel Arteta with very little defensive options. Not the situation the Spaniard wants to be in, but it will be interesting to see how he deals with it. We will find out very soon, I guess. By Harry Bamforth Phoar, what a stadium the Emirates is, eh? The pitch is looking as pristine as ever before 22 or more players trample all over it in search of three points. I do love this part of the evening when the stadium is silent, it's rather calming before the atmosphere nob is turned to 1000 per cent. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that part too. By Harry Bamforth Martin Odegaard, Arsenal captain, speaking on Tuesday: By Harry Bamforth The last time Arsenal featured in the Champions League was a rather memorable night. The Gunners turned up to Lisbon to face Sporting having won just two games in six. The pressure was well and truly on as they faced a Sporting side who had smashed Manchester City earlier in November. But pressure is for tyres, right? The Gunners tore the Portuguese side to shreds, shipping five past them on their own patch. It was a brutal beating that most certainly got the wind back in Arsenal's sails. Want to re-live it, Gunners? Well, if you do just click below. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal just don’t lose at the Emirates these days, do they? Mikel Arteta has managed to make the stadium a fortress, the Gunners have only lost twice at home in all competitions in 2024. Neither of those defeats were in the Champions League though, and they have won six matches at the Emirates in the competition since the start of last season. Not a bad record, eh? Only Barcelona and Bayern Munich have managed to win more home games in that time, with seven. By Harry Bamforth The new format of the Champions League has certainly had its fair share of criticism, hasn't it? People have stated that games do not have as much on them and the jeopardy is taken away. That is certainly not the case tonight. What this format does do is give us giant match-ups and tonight it's the turn of Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona who face off in Germany. If you aren't licking your lips at the prospect of these two sides facing off, do you even like football? Both sides sit on 12 points in sixth and seventh respectively knowing that a win will put them in touching distance of the knockout stages. If that's not something to play for, I don't know what is. By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta, Arsenal boss, speaking on Tuesday: By Harry Bamforth We are getting to the business end of the Champions League group phase now. Arsenal know that anything less than three points this evening could seriously harm their chances of automatic qualification for the knockout stages. The Gunners currently sit 11th but could rise as high as second with a win and if other results go their way. The race for the top eight is just so tough to call, other than Liverpool, nobody is sure of their place. It’s al pretty much up for grabs. If Arsenal can roll over Monaco tonight though, they will be fairly confident of being able to secure a spot in the round of 16. But it will be far from easy, the French side have been cooking this season. By Harry Bamforth Every night is a busy one at this time of year. While our focus will be on how Arsenal get on tonight there are plenty of other Champions League matches being played elsewhere. If you fancy seeing how Manchester City get on against Juventus, then we also have a dedicated blog for that tasty fixture. Here is the full schedule for this evening’s action: By Harry Bamforth Right, before we take a real deep dive into tonight's action, I think we need a little recap from last night. To say it was eventful is an understatement. We saw 25 goals fly in across nine games. There were comebacks, 90th minute winners, and plenty fo shocks. It was a night that saw Liverpool maintain their impressive 100 per cent record to stay top of the league with a win away at Girona. Meanwhile, Aston Villa put themselves on the verge of qualification by edging a five-goal thriller against Leipzig. And finally, we have to talk about Real Madrid. Los Blancos were in dire need of a win and they just scraped by against Atalanta, with Kylian Mbappe finally showing what he is all about. Just another chaotic night in Europe, nothing new. By Harry Bamforth It’s that time again… I must say, I have had a rather long day and all that has been on my mind is tonight’s Champions League action. That tells all of you just how much I love this sport. This evening our focus is on London, specifically the Emirates, as Arsenal look to take a big step toward qualification as they host Monaco. Excitement has been building in north London all day. I’m not just saying that, I ran past the stadium earlier and there were plenty of fans already in the area. It’s going to be another special night under the lights and I simply can’t wait for it to get going. So, with that being said, let’s get this show on the road. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group