Almunia and Wenger admits Porto was better

Arsenal goalkeeper and manager admitted that Arsenal was poor last night, and Porto deserved their win.

Manuel Almunia, captain for the night in the absence of Cesc Fabregas, was not surprisingly downcast after Arsenal were well-beaten by Porto in Porugal. The Spanish keeper admitted the Gunners had simply not got into the game at all, and bemoaned the fact that they kept misplacing passes and seldom worked his opposite number Helton.

The Gunners had fielded a much-changed team and were punished for defensive lapses either side of half-time as first Bruno Alves and then Lisandro scored the goals that gave Porto victory and took them top of the group.

Almunia told Sky Sports Xtra: "We were not in the game at any moment. We didn't pass the ball well, we lost too many balls and this way, you always lose.

"We lost 2-0 and had no shots on target at any time. We didn't feel good on the pitch and just weren't in the game.

"When we lose we have to think about what we did badly and what we have to do to improve, whether it is the first team or not."

It was a night of few positives for manager Arsene Wenger, who conceded that despite his side having been "quite comfortable" in the first half, until the first Porto goal, they were simply not dangerous when they tried to raise their game, were guilty of too many lost balls and were "too weak when they went 2-0 down".

"We were quite comfortable in the first half until the goal tonight. What was disappointing was that when we tried to come back we were not capable of being dangerous, we lost balls and then we were on the verge of conceding more," admitted the Frenchman.

Asked if he now regretted fielding a relatively inexperienced side, with several first-teamers left behind in London, Wenger said, "No," explaining that "many had little injuries," and stressing that with qualification for the knock-out stage of the Champions League having already been clinched before tonight's game, his priority had been to protect their position the Premier League - where they face a tricky asssignment at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Wenger added that he had been pleased with the positive reception for Emmanuel Eboue, adding that the under-fire Ivorian full-back had needed that support from the fans.

Given that, by finishing second in Group G rather than topping it (which they would have had they earned a draw in Porto), Arsenal could now meet Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Roma or Panathinaikos in the knock-out round in February, was the Gunners' boss concerned?

No, he insisted, backing his team to handle facing a group winner. "It will be difficult but we will be up for it and have a chance against anyone in Europe," he said.