Rio Ferdinand delivers verdict on lacklustre Arsenal defeat against Porto - 'A shadow of themselves'

Rio Ferdinand said Arsenal looked “a shadow of themselves” in open play after Porto took a 1-0 lead in their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

For the first time in more than two years, The Gunners failed to register a shot on target in an uncharacteristically lacklustre attacking showing.

Mikel Arteta’s side dominated the ball in the first half but were fortunate not to fall behind when Galeno had two gilt-edged chances from close range in the 21st minute.

The Brazilian capitalised as the Arsenal defence switched off and had David Raya beaten but his first effort crashed off the post before his follow-up slid just inches wide.

The second period followed a similar pattern. The Gunners enjoyed the majority of possession but it was the hosts who posed the more dangerous threat and they were rewarded deep into stoppage time.

Making up for his earlier misses, Galeno curled one in from 25 yards in the 94th minute to secure a famous victory and to give his side a slender advantage ahead of the all-important second leg.

“They [Arsenal] were managing the game OK,” Ferdinand said. “I said in the first half the transitions were hurting them and I thought they good control at parts, but at this level you’ve got to create chances, get beyond teams and make keepers work and Arsenal never really got to that stage today.

“I think they would have been happy with a 0-0 after the way the game panned out but this is the level we’re at. When you get to knockout football in the Champions League, this is the top level.

“You have to approach these games right and if you make mistakes and give the ball away cheaply at this level you get punished.”

The result was a surprise given the devastating form Arsenal have been on. They have won five on the bounce, scoring 21 goals in the process but Ferdinand praised the way Porto nullified that threat.

“They looked hard to play against and they made it hard in every department for Arsenal,” Ferdinand added.

“In open play Arsenal looked a shadow of themselves in the last couple of games we’ve seen of them and that shows you. That was against respectively West Ham out of form and Burnley, this is Porto, this is the Champions League knockout stages, a very different setting altogether.

“But tactically Porto got it spot on. They were saying to Arsenal you’re not going to go through the middle, you’re going to have to go around and set-pieces are going to be your only route to goal and they weren’t clinical in any capacity.”

Had Galeno not come up with a sublime finish in the dying seconds, Arsenal’s performance may well have been looked upon very differently according to Martin Keown.

The TNT Sports pundit believes it was a lack of experience that cost his former side in the end and admitted it will be “sickening” for the players to have conceded in the manner in which they did.

“It was a sucker punch really,” Keown said. “It was a professional performance, defended well, they could have created more chances but then you give the ball away cheaply and then Galeno scores a wonderful goal.

“But you can’t help think maybe experience there has cost Arsenal a little bit. It’s a competition of late goals and it’s a young team that’s learning in Europe and I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt them.”

“They [Porto] stuck to their gameplan. Arsenal had 65% possession, neither team were really creating that many opportunities.

“I just think Martinelli’s inexperience at the end, he could have kept possession to see the game out, Jorginho came on to do that very thing, so that’ll be quite sickening for that young team to concede in the way they did.”

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