The lesson though is having an off night in the Champions League is tantamount to disaster.
Monaco started better than Arsenal and managed to apply some pressure for the first fifteen minutes. Then Arsenal started to find their way and create chances.
Soon the traffic was one way, but there were few really clear chances. Cazorla had a volley blocked and Giroud headed wide.
Arsenal finally opened the scoring in the 35th minute when Giroud managed to smash home a rebound into the roof of the net.
Just before halftime Welbeck couldn’t beat the keeper and Arsenal went into the interval with some hope.
The second half saw Arsenal dominate, but as they threw men forward they remained vulnerable to Monaco on the counter.
Arsenal didn’t create many opportunities in the second half either. Ozil had a free kick that forced a fine save. He also narrowly missed after Bellerin’s half cleared cross.
Finally they scored the second, Walcott’s shot hitting the post but ending up with Ramsey, who smashed it home.
In the remaining 12 minutes they only produced one good chance, a Giroud header which Subasic saved and kept out of the goal.
Arsenal couldn’t break through and were reduced to just punting the ball forward and hoping for the best. It wasn’t enough.
Player Ratings:
Ospina 6: No saves to make. The most dangerous moment he faced was a cross from Carrasco in the second half which he missed. Luckily nobody was there.
Bellerin 6: Some good crosses, but a number of poor crosses as well. Did a good job defending his wing.
Mertesacker 7: Good game from Per who kept Berbatov at bay.
Koscielny 7: A solid game with a number of key interceptions. He wanted to attack, but you could tell Wenger wanted him to remain at the back to fend off the counters.
Monreal 6: A reasonably good game with a couple of good attacking moves, but he could have done more.
Coquelin 7: There were a couple of giveaways, but our midfield dominated more and he was one of the main reasons.
Cazorla 7: A good performance, but Santi wasn’t able to create anything or make the decisive assist.
Ozil 8: Our best player on the night, but he too had trouble fashioning something brilliant against a stingy Monaco defence. Had a fine free kick and a couple of shots that were close.
Welbeck 6: Gave Monaco some problems in the first half, but he disappeared in the second half.
Giroud 7: He had a couple of headers that he’ll be dreaming about. He did bury the first goal with an impressive shot after his quick reaction to his initial shot being saved.
Sanchez 7: Didn’t merit his first half yellow card, which was possibly a penalty. Was fouled often by Monaco, who seemed determined to keep him under wraps. He had few good chances.
Substitutes:
Ramsey 7: Thought he would have started. He came on and scored the second goal and had a solid game.
Walcott 6: Shot hit the post before Ramsey scored. The team were unable to fashion any chances for him and utilize his pace.
Gibbs 6: Did attack effectively as Wenger tried to add some width and pace down the flank, but he wasn’t on long enough.