Champions League: Arsenal beaten at home by Schalke

The Bundesliga side took control of Group B thanks to goals in the final 15 minutes from Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and Ibrahim Afellay which gave the Germans a fully deserved victory at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal never seemed to create the good football their fans were used to and that resulted in a frustrating night for the Gunners. However, Arsenal are still confident of qualification for the knockout phase after victories over Montpellier and Olympiakos, but Schalke are now in the driving seat and they could well finish top of the group, which would, at least in theory, give them an easier opponent in the last 16. Arsenal had not lost a Champions League group game at home since a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Inter in September 2003. Schalke created the first moment of panic in the Arsenal defence after 20 minutes when Afellay went down in the area under a challenge from goalkeeper Vito Mannone, but referee Jonas Eriksson ruled that the winger had dived and showed him a yellow card. There weren't too many goal scoring opportunities though, especially coming from Arsenal. The Germans finally broke through on Arsenal's left flank, where Andre Santos had a forgettable night. Atsuto Uchida broke into the area and set up Huntelaar but the Dutch striker missed the target. A similar action was performed after the break but this time Howedes missed the net. The first goal finally came 14 minutes from time when Huntelaar broke through and wrapped things up with a clinical finish. Fellow Dutchman Ibrahim Afellay then sealed the three points with four minutes left when he tapped the ball in from a Farfan cross, again from Arsenal's left flank. Schalke now lead the group with seven points, followed by Arsenal with 6 points, Olympiakos (3 points) and Lille (1 point). Bet365 have odds of 1/33 for Schalke to qualify from the group, while Arsenal are priced at 1/14.