Gunners survive Bulgarian scare

Halloween may be over but Arsenal had to survive a mighty scare as they scraped past Ludogorets 3-2 in their Champions League clash in Bulgaria.

Jonathan Cafu and Claudio Keseru put the Bulgarian champions two goals to the good inside the opening quarter of an hour, but Granit Xhaka and Olivier Giroud pulled the Gunners level before the break.

A moment of individual brilliance from Mesut Ozil completed the comeback for leaders Arsenal, who now progress into the last 16 with two games to spare along with Group A rivals PSG.

Arsenal wasted two early chances with Aaron Ramsey sending an overhead kick harmlessly off target before Ozil shot straight at Milan Borjan in the Ludogorets goal.

Those misses looked like they might prove costly when the hosts raced into a two-goal lead. Cafu beat the defence to get on the end of a free-kick and steer the ball home after 12 minutes before turning provider for Ludogorets' second. The Brazilian got the better of Kieran Gibbs before crossing for Keseru to score just three minutes later.

Arsenal looked shell shocked and at that point, although I didn't want to give up, I did wonder if we would have the ability to recover or if it was going to be one of those nights.

Belief returned to me when Xhaka reduced the deficit after 20 minutes. Ozil just about kept the ball in play, although it was a very tight call, before crossing the ball into the box. Giroud failed to connect with it, but the ball then fell for Xhaka to place a fine shot beyond Borjan.

Arsenal continued to push forward with Alexis Sanchez curling a shot off target before Ozil saw a volley blocked, but the Gunners were able to level the scores four minutes before the break. The French striker was given too much space as he got up well to head in Ramsey's cross for his third goal in two games.

Ludogorets were still posing a threat on the counter attack though and piled forward soon after, only to see a shot deflect wide for a corner before half-time.

Wanderson twice came close to restoring the Bulgarian side's lead shortly after the hour mark, but on both occasions Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina reacted well well to deny the Brazilian.

Those misses proved costly and Ludogorets' hard work was undone when Ozil produced a moment of genius to snatch all three points for Arsenal two minutes from time. Substitute Mohamed Elneny had only been on the pitch for a minute when he sent a perfectly-timed long ball over the top to Ozil. The German international then chipped the ball over the head of Borjan, bringing the ball back onto his left foot and showing great control to get the better of the defenders in his way before firing into the empty net. It was a truly great goal to watch and left me and my fellow Arsenal fans with a huge sense of relief.

GROUP A
We made very hard work of it, but the 3-2 win away to Ludogorets secured our qualification into the last 16.

Only goal difference separates the Gunners from second-placed PSG after the French giants hit a stoppage time winner at FC Basel, but I'm just glad we managed to recover from our nightmare start to cling onto top spot.

Top spot is likely to be decided by the result of our penultimate group game later this month when PSG visit the Emirates. We'll definitely have to defend much better than we did against Ludogorets and there is still plenty more work to be done. But if someone had said to me that we'd top the group after four matches I'd certainly have taken it!

CATCH-UP
There have been three games since the last blog due to me getting married and being away on honeymoon. The Gunners did fairly well in my absence with two wins and a draw.

A goalless draw at home to Middlesbrough was a tad frustrating, but at least it kept the unbeaten run going.

The EFL Cup is certainly the bottom of the priority list in terms of trophies, but silverware is silverware and I'd still love it if we were to win that competition as well, providing we also get glory in the Premier League. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit both goals as we dispatched of Reading and booked a quarter final tie against Southampton.

We then travelled to struggling Sunderland and I must admit that, when the hosts equalised via a Jermain Defoe penalty I did wonder whether it was just not going to be our day. Giroud stepped off the bench to turn the game back in our favour with a well-taken double before Sanchez added his second to complete a 4-1 win.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It may not have been pretty against Ludogorets...well apart from Ozil's winner, but at least we got the job done and won the match to secure qualification.

We will definitely have to up our game and produce performances of the highest quality as we prepare for a trio of very difficult games starting with the North London Derby against Tottenham at the Emirates. A trip to Manchester United and the visit of PSG then follow and these three games will be a true test of our credentials and help give an indication of what direction are season will go in.

Tottenham have actually yet to lose a league game so our next encounter will definitely be tough, so we need to go out there and prove that we are the best team in north London so let's hope we can do just that.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS