By Kilroy Serge
November 2 2004

It was an another night of splutter for Arsenal in Europe, as they drew for the third time in a row. You couldn't help suspecting that maybe some of the team are secret UKIP members such is their disdain for the competition. They started brightly enough, and within 16 minutes Henry took a brilliant penalty, running up, stopping, and then sending the goalie the wrong way. True he went on a few good runs but he never threatened the oppostions goal as effectively again.

Panathinaikos did not lose their nerve, being content to defend in the last third with the ocassional breakaway. In the second half they got lucky with a penalty, from the Clock End it looked like Papadopoulos swung at the ball, missed and fell over. It did not seem that anyone touched him - but the referee pointed to the spot.

The Clock End howled and howled, Lehmann looked like he knew what he was doing. None of it mattered as the ball curled over the top right hand corner.

This should have demoralised the Greeks and lifted Arsenal, but the Gunners were strangely ineffective. Panathinaikos continued to look for an equaliser as the Arsenal won the ball again and again, only to miss hit, or poorly pass the ball.

Then it was farce as a lone Greek attacker ran straight at the Arsenal goal, Cygan ran back hoping to cover the goal, there was agasp of horror as the early speculative shot deflected of the hapless defenders head, giving Lehmann no chance.

Now Arsenal threw themselves into all out attack. Van Persie was brought on with eight minutes to go, but the Panathinaikos defence is made of sterner stuff than Southampton's. Arsenal huffed and puffed, the ball zig zagged across the face of the Greeks goal again and again, but it went everwhere but in the net. It was one of those nights - you knew it wasn't going to go in. Arsenal are incapable of keeping a clean sheet, they needed another goal before the Greeks could recover. Once they failed to do that it could be sensed that it was going to go wrong.

Arsene said that the team was not physically up to it.

A great night for UKIP - Kilroy was here.