Post Match Reaction: Udinese (H)

A nervy night at the Emirates saw us march on to Italy with a 1-0 lead in the bag as Theo's early goal relieved post-Cesc depression early on.

The Talking Point:
With just four minutes on the clock, Walcott's neat sweeping finish from an Aaron Ramsey cross was just what we needed in a tricky qualifier. All that matters tonight is the lead to take to Italy, and the clean sheet.

Positives:
Starting his first game of the season, it was good to see the boy Walcott get on the scoresheet. He started last season in blistering form and we can only hope he improves once more this year. Big kudos to the defence again too as we managed to keep our second clean sheet in as many games, despite a few reshuffles due to injury in the second half. Meanwhile, Shezza looked solid between the sticks and kept Di Natale out well, who was a real handful all night. Gervinho was also compared to Thierry Henry by former Gunner Lee Dixon is his Radio 5 Live commentary for his pacy, direct, attacking style.

Negatives:
In a home tie like this, our tactics appeared somewhat negative after taking the lead. We were happy to sit and play for the 1-0 after the hour mark which is very un-Wenger like. Perhaps it's a new tactic for the coming season to be more Mourinho-esque but it would have been nice to see us push on and look for a second. We were also under the cosh for large periods in the final 20 minutes and Chamakh once again looked a forlorn figure upfront. Meanwhile at the back, injuries to Gibbs and Djourou will hardly help our already threadbare defence.

Conclusion:
Three points an a clean sheet is all we could have hoped for tonight and a 1-0 lead to take back to Italy should hold us in good stead, where Van Persie and Wilshere are likely to return. With Liverpool visiting at the weekend, a potential defence involving Carl Jenkinson and Armand Traore is a worry, though for tonight at least, a professional job was done well.