Elsewhere in the last 16, Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards the last eight with a hard fought 1-0 over AC Milan in the San Siro
Browsing: Arsenal
Arsenal, who won four matches to finish second in Group F, have not lost at home in their last 13 games and defender Per Mertesacker is confident of another positive result
The Londoners, who lost 1-5 to Liverpool in the Premier League on February 8, won with a 16th-minute goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and a 47th-minute strike from Lukas Podolski before Steven Gerrard halved the arrears with a penalty on the hour
A largely dull affair came to life in the closing stages, with both keepers pulling off top saves but neither side was able to score a winning goal
Three competitions are on the line. In recent seasons Arsenal have been derailed when a cluster of high-profile games with different honours at stake hurtles into their path, and Wenger understands why there are doubts about whether they can overcome the tendency to implode
While the Gunners are battling it out around the top of the standings, United find themselves struggling around the mid-table
Akpom, 18, did not start a match for the Bees largely because of their excellent run of form and made four substitute appearances during his time at Griffin Park
And, with a visit to Arsenal on Wednesday, there is no end to the trouble in sight for Manchester United
The one-sided victory lifted fourth-place Liverpool to within five points of Arsenal, a week before the sides are due to meet again at the Emirates Stadium in the fifth round of the FA Cup
Former Arsenal striker, Marouane Chamakh, was hoping to make an impression on his return to Emirates Stadium and was Palace’s biggest threat
The London club are more likely to get the attacking midfielder in the summer but Law’s attendance for talks with Schalke reflects the desire to do business before the winter window closes on Friday night
The draw means Manchester City and Chelsea can overtake the Premier League leaders if they win their fixtures on Wednesday but Wenger, whose side arrived late due to congestion around the stadium, refused to regard the draw as a missed opportunity
The agreement shows Puma’s determination to re-establish itself as a core sports brand under new CEO Bjoern Gulden after moving more into lifestyle and fashion
If Chelsea’s visit to the Etihad Stadium is the outstanding tie of the round, the draw threw up a second meeting of comparable magnitude, with Arsenal welcoming Liverpool
Ten-time winners and current Premier League pacesetters, Arsenal, were paired with Liverpool after their victories over Coventry and Bournemouth respectively
The Nigerians’ representative, Ken Van Deyck, has revealed that the north London side will have to battle it out with the Portuguese giants if they’re to land the pair
The Arsenal manager expressed his surprise that Chelsea should do business with a Premier League rival, albeit one that is flagging this season, and he warned his Stamford Bridge counterpart, José Mourinho, that he could live to regret the decision in the longer term
Coming on as a late substitute against Walsall in the 1-1 draw, the travelling Brentford fans already had a song for him when he arrived on the pitch
Fulham’s Dutch goalkeeper produced save after save as the Gunners poured forward and he denied Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla in the opening period
Arsene Wenger’s men started well but Villa’s back-four, led by the towering Ron Vlaar, stood firm despite decent early chances for returning striker Olivier Giroud