Cesc Fábregas penalty gives Arsenal hope to take to Barcelona

Fábregas puts brakes on Barça to give Gunners fighting chance

The glory was not of the sort that Arsenal had intended, yet this draw was a stirring achievement. It was seized with a penalty converted by Cesc Fábregas in the 85th minute after he had been fouled by Carles Puyol, who was sent off and will miss the return. So too, must Fábregas after a booking here.

At times Arsenal were over-run as Zlatan Ibrahimovic thrived for once against opposition from England. The 46th minue opener, the first of his two goals, was floated home deliciously after a pass from Gerard Pique. Nonetheless, Arsenal were not cowed and Thierry Henry's return to the club as a substitute was met with special goodwill because his current side had been denied.

The Arsenal support normally comes happily to the Emirates in expectations of an exhibition of ravishingly geometric football. Standards threatened to reach new heights in the opening half-hour of the game, but the home crowd was not in raptures. Barcelona intimidated by gliding through the Arsenal ranks and only the goalkeeper Manuel Almunia prevented an immediate end to the tie.

The saves were frequent and Arsenal could also be relieved that Ibrahimovic initially experienced his usual troubles against English clubs, especially when he sent a low ball from Daniel Alves haplessly over the bar in the sixth minute. The Swede ought to have been grateful that a flag had been raised for offside. Otherwise, Arsenal continued to get some body part or other in the path of numerous attempts.

Considering how denounced he had been for Birmingham City's late equaliser on Saturday, the rehabilitation of Almunia was swiftly achieved. When the Spaniard was not denying the visitors in that period, Alex Song was around to block a Lionel Messi attempt near the goal-line.

This was not the spectacle Arsenal had envisaged, but it was somewhat impressive in its confirmation that the side does have a new persistence that is keeping them in contention for the Premier League title. They coped here even when William Gallas and Andrey Arshavin both had to be taken off before the interval. Song assumed the Frenchman's duties by moving back to defence from midfield.

Arsène Wenger had no doubt that every risk had to be taken if there was to be any prospect of Arsenal disturbing Barcelona, as they began to do in the closing 15 minutes of the first half. The delicacy of deciding whether Fábregas had recovered sufficiently from a knee injury was such that BBC reports claimed the clubs had agreed that Arsenal could change their line-up if the midfielder broke down in the warm-up while also having the full complement of seven substitutes. That story conveyed the craving Wenger had to pick the midfielder.

The fitness test undergone by him this morning had not even involved kicking the ball. This was a high-profile event in an eminent tournament, but Arsenal could hardly be left to enjoy it in simple terms. On Gillespie Road before the match one fan confessed to another he dreaded the sort experienced when Chelsea and Manchester United had routinely beaten Wenger's side in every meeting during this campaign.

The riposte to that lay in the claim that Arsenal have been improving. For all Barcelona's renown, the players might also have felt that this was a type of football to which they are better suited. Pep Guardiola certainly stuck to his principles and resisted the suggestion that a pair of holding midfielders would be appropriate to start the occasion. Sergio Busquets started, but Yaya Touré was on the bench.

Thierry Henry was also named as a substitute. For a while at least, he could savour the surroundings at his former player without having to keep an eye out for crashing tackles. More likely, in view of his pride, he was disappointed not to be at the centre of the action at kick-off. Henry's place on the bench was a sign, too, of Barcelona's means. Arsenal, seeing Gallas depart on a stretcher in a first outing since 10 February, encountered adversity in their luck as well as in Barcelona's dominance of possession.

The prowess of the visitors might still have been devastating even if Arsenal had been in ideal shape. As it was, Song proved to be badly miscast as a centre-half. When Xavi fed the ball into the channel between Song and Clichy after 59 minutes, Ibrahimovic was free to drive his finish high past Almunia at the goalkeeper's near post. It will be a while before anyone sneers at the Swede in these parts.

Arsenal still took credit from the enterprise displayed when Barcelona's grip slackened. Nicklas Bendtner, who might have scored on his own account earlier in the half, played the pass from which the substitute Theo Walcott scored with a fine angled drive in the 69th minute. The match had not gone as Arsenal had intended, but the fortitude was still impressive.