Lukas Podolski rounds off late heroics for Arsenal

Forget Happy Birthday, a rendition of 'Boring Boring Arsenal' would have been more appropriate for most of what had been a terrible performance from Wenger's team but two goals in three minutes secured the most improbable of wins.

It is also likely to have again assured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, with Arsenal still behind Borussia Dortmund but fully five points clear of both Anderlecht and Galatasaray. Anderlecht had missed several clear chances to put the game beyond Arsenal but goals in the 89th and then 91st minutes from Kieran Gibbs and then Lukas Podolski represented the best possible 65th birthday present for the manager.

Wenger afterwards hailed his side's fighting spirit."We kept going and managed to score two good goals because we had the spirit and refused to lose the game," Wenger said. "Anderlecht played well tonight and you see that this country produces top-class players. It was vital for us to have a chance to qualify. We are in a strong position now."

Besnik Hasi, the Anderlecht coach, had noted Arsenal's current lack of confidence before the game and his team were clearly organised to exploit their vulnerability to the counter-attack.

It meant that, although Arsenal did take an immediate hold of possession, Anderlecht were content to sit back and rely on their two holding midfielders, Steven Defour and Youri Tielemans, to restrict space. It put the onus on Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere to pick holes in the Anderlecht defence but Arsenal's passing and movement was initially pedestrian.

The one exception was Alexis Sanchez down the right and the first chance did arise when he sprinted past Anderlecht right-back Frank Achaempong and crossed for Santi Cazorla, who had drifted in from the left touchline.

The timing of his run, however, was not matched by a truly woeful finish that ballooned off Sanchez's shin and finished closer to the top row of the Constant Vanden Stock stadium than the goal.

Despite his threat, Sanchez was offering only limited defensive support to Calum Chambers at right-back and Anderlecht were clearly targeting that flank with occasional rapid counter-attacks.

Erratic

Acheampong was especially direct and had the beating of Chambers for pace although his delivery, happily for Arsenal, was mostly erratic. It was a surprise that Wenger had asked Chambers to play at right-back rather than centre-back, meaning that Hector Bellerin was dropped from the side that drew 2-2 with Hull City on Saturday instead of Nacho Monreal.

It was only the second time that Monreal has played centre-back in a senior competitive game and, at 5ft 10ins, his limitations were again soon evident.

He was booked after fouling Gohi Bi Cyriac on the edge of Arsenal's penalty area and he rarely looked confident whenever Anderlecht broke forward.

An even more unfamiliar face in the Arsenal team was goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who had not previously placed in either the Champions League or Premier League, but made his debut amid the unavailability of both Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina.

It was not until late in the first half that he was called into action, blocking a shot from Dennis Praet, the inventive Anderlecht No 10.

Wenger's team were still seeing plenty of the ball in midfield but, with so many of their players starting high up the pitch and Defour and Tielemans working so diligently in front of the Anderlecht back four, they created very little.

Set-pieces were actually soon looking like the best hope for some sort of breakthrough. Cazorla fired one effort wastefully into the wall but there was precious little to get excited about otherwise.

In the second half, a Cazorla free-kick prompted a header from Sanchez that Silvio Proto saved before Ramsey shot wide. Cazorla then forced an even better save from Proto as Arsenal very briefly looked like making their control of possession count.

As ever, Arsenal proved to be at their weakest while on the ball. Kieran Gibbs galloped forward in the mistaken belief that Cazorla would not misplace his pass. Defour chipped the ball down the line to Andy Najar, who passed to Praet and he waited before returning the compliment with a superb cross that Naja headed past Martinez.

Wenger's belated response was to bring on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joel Campbell but, as they drove forward in search of an equaliser, that susceptibility to being punished on the counter-attack was even more evident.

Anthony Vanden Borre broke from full-back into Arsenal's penalty area and hit the post, with Najar then wastefully missing the chance to put the game beyond Arsenal when he shot into the side netting.

It was the pivotal moment, with Arsenal punishing Anderlecht's profligacy in a dramatic finale. First Chambers crossed for Gibbs to volley emphatically past Proto and then Podolski again underlined his quality in front of goal with a match-winning finish.

"It's in our hands," Wenger added. "Dortmund can be a tough opponent. We now play Anderlecht at home. Let's just qualify and then we will see how far we can go." (© Daily Telegraph, London)