2 – Arsenal
0 – Juventus
The score doesn’t even begin to tell the tale. The Gunners ran Juve right out of Highbury, with slashing passes carving up the great Italian defense as if it belonged to one of Serie A’s bottom-dwellers instead of a team 8 points clear and headed for a second straight Scudetto.
By the end, the bianconeri were so frustrated that they were committing fouls like mad, ending up with nine men. Three players will miss the return leg, including Patrick Viera, so Arsenal may not even need an away goal to secure the tie.
Thierry Henry’s goal was phenomenal, although it was more of a fantastic finish to a team effort instead of the sort of solo feat that beat Real Madrid. It’s hard to believe that this team is only going to finish fourth in the Premiership, or that they won’t be giving Chelsea a very hard fight for first next year.