26 Feb 2009

Gunners sole winners as draws abound

2:31 pm on 26 February 2009

Arsenal were the sole winners at the start of the knockout stage in European football's Champions League and that was only thanks to a Robin van Persie penalty giving them a 1-0 first leg victory over AS Roma in London.

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The much-awaited clash between Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan and old rival Sir Alex Ferguson's titleholders Manchester United ended in a 0-0 draw in Italy, preserving United's record of 20 Champions League matches without a loss.

The former Arsenal hero Thierry Henry scored with a neatly taken header to earn Barcelona a 1-1 draw away at the seven-time French champions Lyon.

And Atletico Madrid drew 2-2 at home to one of Mourinho's former clubs, FC Porto.