Careless Gunners Caught at the Post

The sense of disappointment at Highbury was palpable and Arsène Wenger may have felt that more acutely than most. In the summer the Arsenal manager was forced to drop interest in Edmilson because of passport problems. This morning he must wish the Brazilian had not been allowed in by customs at all.

By heading in a last-minute corner to equalize for Lyon last night Edmilson has muddied Arsenal's path to the quarter-finals. Had Wenger's players held out they would have needed only a victory at home to Spartak Moscow on March 6 to be certain. Now they may need to go to Bayern Munich the following week in search of points.

Yet, if the manner and timing of the goal will anger Arsenal, they can have few complaints at having to settle for a draw. This was a far from impressive performance and Edmilson in particular will feel justice was done after being shoved by Dennis Bergkamp in the lead-up to the Dutchman's 32nd-minute goal.

After a bright opening in which Arsenal looked to have too much strength, pace and movement for their opponents, they struggled to find much fluency and lacked a killer instinct with their final pass. Rarely at home can they have created so few clear chances.

Lyon may not have forced a serious save out of David Seaman all night but they had Arsenal on the back foot for long periods as Wenger's players seemed strangely content to settle for a repeat of the 1-0 win they achieved in France nine days ago. It was a dangerous policy against a team who could not afford defeat. Wenger said fatigue had played its part.

"The technical quality suffered because the players were tired," he said. "And in the second half that, linked with the fact that we didn't come out enough, put us under threat of making a mistake." Like Manchester United on Tuesday they made it late.

After the collapse from 2-0 up against Bayern Munich before Christmas and the way late goals conceded against Lens cost them in the Champions League two seasons ago, this will bring back bad memories. Yet Arsenal remain in second spot and need only finish level on points with Lyon to go through, having taken four points off them. "I'm still confident," Wenger said.

He will know, though, that too few of his players performed to their best last night. Patrick Vieira impressed, though he was beaten in the air by Edmilson for the goal. Ashley Cole did well in front of the watching Sven-Goran Eriksson and Gilles Grimandi was tenacious at the back in the absence of the injured Tony Adams. Bergkamp, too, had some fine moments.

Yet he became increasingly peripheral as Lyon, who had shown a willingness to commit players forward from the start, went in search of an equalizer. The wide midfielders Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg could make little headway and apart from a Grimandi volley, a Thierry Henry shot and a deflected Lauren header Arsenal rarely threatened in the second half.

How different it had looked at the start. With Bergkamp full of ideas and Arsenal dominant in midfield, they had swarmed forward with real menace, using the flanks to good effect.

No sooner had Pires struck a cross-shot wide than Parlor had a great chance to give them a 13th-minute lead. Supplied by Bergkamp's cushioned header he wastefully sliced a volley into the side-netting from eight yards.

After Lyon had shown signs of their danger on the counter attack, Arsenal took the lead in controversial fashion. Bergkamp appeared to push Edmilson out of the way as he chased a Pires pass but the Slovakian referee Lubos Michel allowed play to go on and the Dutchman coolly curled his shot beyond Grégory Coupet.

Wenger may have seen the challenge as a "typical English shoulder-to-shoulder" but that looked generous. "He pushed me," Edmilson said. "It should never have been a goal so the fact that I scored was some type of justice."

That goal, though, took time in coming. As Arsenal soaked up most of what Lyon had to offer it seemed they would get the victory they craved. But Vikash Dhorasoo, who came on to add real verve and skill to the French side who ended with four strikers, sent over a corner which Edmilson headed in. Having hauled themselves off the bottom so impressively last week, Wenger must hope this does not prove costly.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Seaman; Dixon, Luzhny, Grimandi, Cole; Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira, Pires (Lauren, 80min); Henry (Kanu, 83), Bergkamp (Wiltord, 71).

Lyon (4-4-2): Coupet; Deflandre, Edmilson, Muller, Brechet; Govou (Loko, 78), Foé (Linares, 66), Violeau, Laigle (Dhorasoo, 66); Anderson, Marlet.

Referee: L Michel (Slovakia).

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