Montpellier v Arsenal: live - Telegraph FULL TIME: Montpellier 1-2 Arsenal 90+3 min Bocaly with the ball in the right corner. He tries to cross off-balance, and sends the ball... yes, you've guessed it, right into the crowd. And that's it! No time even for the goal-kick to be taken. Three points for Arsenal! 90+2 min Montpellier are still taking their sweet time about things. Eventually Yanga-Mbiwa hoists it forward trying to look for Herrera. Mertesacker heads it away. Arsenal sweating a good deal more than they should be, really. 90 min Gervinho's through. Brilliant challenge by Bocaly to dispossess him, and all of a sudden Montpellier are away. Cabella runs into Diaby and claims a penalty, and that's one of the worst attempts to claim a penalty I've ever seen. Three minutes of injury time to be played. 89 min A valedictory substitution by Steve Bould: Coquelin coming on for Cazorla. 88 min Yanga-Mbiwa gets to the right byline. He crosses. It hits Diaby and loops up. Big moment for Mannone, but under pressure from Herrera and Belhanda, he jumps and holds on well. 86 min "A private French feeder football school based in north London," is Richard Jones's answer, which in terms of acerbicness, is only one notch short of "Manchester City's academy." Now, Manchester City have scored! They lead 2-1 in Madrid! But hang on! Real have now equalised again! If you followed the first half of this match and the second half of the other, you've had a pretty good night. 84 min Belhanda goes into the book for a foul on Arteta. Montpellier, and this match, are quickly fizzling out. 82 min "To me, Arsenal is continuing to fight, no matter how bad everything may seem," writes Steven Prescott. Maybe all this sounds like 'one of those visitor books you get in old churches' but you asked fans to define their team. Ask a fan of Tottenham or QPR they will have equally as biased. I'll tell you what I reckon Arsenal is. The modern Arsenal, at any rate. It's the maddening quest for perfection. They don't just want to score, they want to score the perfect goal. They don't just want to win the title, they want to win the title playing the best football in the league. They don't just want to win it by spending money, they want to do it by developing players like Barcelona. It's the ambition - stubborn, but breathtaking when it comes off - that marks Arsenal out for me. Still, that's just what I think. What a miss! What a stunning miss! Ait-Fana's cross from the right deflects off Vermaelen and falls perfectly for Belhanda. He's in acres of space, eight yards out, and has room to shoot either side of Mannone. Instead, he gets flustered. Doesn't know whether to hammer it or to place it, and ends up placing it straight into the arms of Mannone. That really is a shocker. You could have scored that. I daresay Olivier Giroud could have scored that. Montpellier won't get a better chance than that. 79 min A long spell of Arsenal possession, for once. We've not seen too much of that in the second half. If they play like this against Manchester City this Sunday - who by the way have conceded an equaliser at the Bernabeu - they're going to lose. They're really going to lose. 77 min Herrera and Stambouli replace Estrada and Camara for Montpellier. Like for like for like for like, those substitutions. A striker and a midfielder for a striker and a midfielder. David Gao writes: "Arsenal is Arsene Wenger. Arsene Wenger is Arsenal. Arsenal is an English football club who likes to continuously sell its captain and amazingly gets stronger. 75 min Off comes Olivier Giroud. Another game without a goal for him, and there's a hint of dejection in his eyes as he trudges off. A few boos from the home fans, too. Or are they the away fans, snigger snigger? Ramsey to replace him. 73 min I should inform you that Manchester City are 1-0 up at Real Madrid. Yes, really. "Clive Young, you're about 90% less amusing than you think," writes Charles Gould. Clive Young - (verb) to display geeky, misguided arrogance after finally coming out of one's shell following repeated bullying at school. Now, now. 72 min Lovely flick from Giroud to put Cazorla in. Cazorla can't find room for the shot, though. 70 min The ball is hoisted into the Arsenal area, and Vermaelen and Mertesacker get in each other's way for a second! Neither can get the ball under control, but nor can Belhanda and nor can Camara, who's been about as much use as a disposable chandelier so far. 69 min Jason S writes: "Arsenal is, using the common words of the professor himself: 'Having belief and great mental strength'. Yes, as a fan. They are easily the most challenging team in the Premier League to watch sometimes. The joy is when you least expect it, they become the best team in the world; that's Arsenal! This is becoming like one of those visitor books you get in old churches. 68 min Giroud tries to get on the end of Gibbs's cross. He's just too slow, isn't he? You don't have to be Adam Gemili-quick, but you need to be able to outsprint your average centre-half, don't you? 66 min Penalty shouts as Bocaly goes down trying to get on the end of Belhanda's pass. They're half-hearted, though. Ait-Fana comes on for Mounier. 64 min Cabella squanders some patient build-up play by Montpellier by passing the ball straight to Diaby. Montpellier still the team putting the pressure on, but they're looking like a side almost running out of ideas. 62 min I'm growing to quite like Bocaly. Imagine the ambition of Kyle Walker but with the first touch of Des Walker. A crunching tackle on Kieran Gibbs there that draws a throaty, very English, roar from the home fans. 60 min Bocaly crosses from the right. Camara, unforgivably, has strayed offside. That's elementary forward play. That's what they teach you not to do on day one of striker school. It might even have featured on Michael Owen's Soccer Skills, and given that it was a programme that largely featured 10-year old balls and girls dribbling in and amongst traffic cones, that gives you some idea what an elementary lapse that was by Camara. 58 min "Whew! That Shouvik is a bit of a poet, eh?" writes Clive Young. My less poetic definition has: Arsenal - a piece of valuable US real estate in North London Arsenal - An English soccer team mostly consisting of continental types speaking cockney with a French accent who can play with great flair. Arsenal - (verb) to blame all possible external factors for one's own inadequacies for losing. 57 min Cazorla's fierce shot is beaten away! Super play by Diaby, evading two challenges before nudging the ball into space and into Cazorla's path. Unlike Arsenal players past, he's not shy of pulling the trigger, and forces a good save out of Jourdren. 55 min Cabella hits the bar! Again there are question marks over Mannone's positioning there, as he was a few yards off his line, and Cabella's looping left-footed shot managed to beat him, but not sneak in. This is a stirring start to the half by Montpellier. The Stade de la Mosson is rocking. 54 min "Arsenal puts a smile on your face once a week when all the misery in the world washes away for 90 minutes as faith overtakes us in a shower of joy," writes Damo Hiley. That's a bold claim. 53 min Oh, Mounier again! What a waste! He got in between Mertesacker and Jenkinson and was completely unmarked 18 yards out. The diagonal ball came into him, but he had so much more time than he realised. Mannone had come a few steps out of his goal, so Mounier tried to poke the shot in first time, but didn't connect properly, and it dribbled wide. 52 min Mounier gets to the byline and clips the ball over left-footed. It's too high for Camara, but Bocaly is steaming in at the far post and tries to volley it first-time, this time with his right foot. This, also, disappears into the crowd. 51 min Here's Cazorla, running the ball into the Montpellier half before checking his run. Arteta, Diaby and Cazorla now just exchanging short passes in the centre circle. Arsenal just need to put their foot on the ball at the moment. 49 min Montpellier have started the half strongly. Corner on their left, which is taken short. The ball's swung in towards Mounier, whose left-footed volley is blocked. Eventually Bocaly tries a left-footed volley. Bocaly, unlike Mounier, is not left-footed, and this time the ball disappears into the crowd. 47 min Decent chance for Cabella, who gets a little space just outside the area and only narrowly misses the target. 20.48 We're off and running again in the second half. 20.35 What is Arsenal? Allow Shouvik Maazumder to explain: Arsenal is the belief of the fans throughout the world, Arsenal is the heart of the billions across the nations, Arsenal is the song of the singers across continents Arsenal is the prayer of the God across the globe Arsenal is all about trust and sincerity. Arsenal is all about passion and dedication. Arsenal is all about being a Gunner! Well, at least he didn't try to make it rhyme. 20.33 Arsenal deservedly went behind after Vermaelen's clumsy challenge, but then deservedly went ahead. They've been superb in patches, Gervinho and Jenkinson combining particularly well on the right, Cazorla and Arteta also enjoying good games so far. Giroud's been fine. He hasn't really had too many clear-cut chances yet, and what he has had to do, he's generally done well. A goal for Giroud in the second half would turn a satisfactory performance into a deeply satisfying one. HALF TIME Montpellier 1-2 Arsenal 45 min And now Podolski almost barges his way through. Only a last-ditch challenge from Bocaly arrests him. So far, the impression you get of Montpellier's defence is that they're not actually seeing the ball, but a projection of where the ball was about half a second ago. It's the only explanation I have for their inability to put in a simple tackle. Anyroad, that's half-time. 43 min Montpellier can't get the ball off Gervinho at the moment. He shimmies his way into shooting range, the ball glued to his feet, but his shot is blocked and loops up into the hands of Jourdren. 41 min Yanga-Mbiwa is booked after he lets the ball get away from him and clatters Giroud trying to get it back. I'm not sure how you'd measure it, but I'd wager players commit a lot more fouls when they've just lost the ball than when the opposition have had it for a while. Loss aversion, behavioural psychologists would call it. If you lose something, you strive harder to get it back than you would strive to gain something you didn't already have. Maybe I'll just write "shocking tackle" next time. 39 min Belhanda does the hard part, getting clear of two Arsenal players and finding some space about 35 yards out, but then his sideways pass to... well, it's hard to tell who that pass was for, because it's awful, and Gervinho can clear it out for a throw. 38 min And there's Mounier again on the left after Cabella's cross from the right evades everyone. Mounier's cross is too close to Mannone, and the goalkeeper can gather comfortably at his near post. 36 min Mounier's cross from the left flicks off Gervinho, and it's another corner to Montpellier, who have responded well to going behind so suddenly. They've got two strategies, Montpellier - get the ball to Belhanda and let him shuffle through the middle, or spread the play long and early to either Cabella or Mounier on the flanks. At the moment, Arsenal haven't quite decided which threat is more dangerous. 34 min Estrada with a fierce shot, and Mannone was worried there! He shook off Gibbs too easily, cut inside from the right and tried to sneak the ball in with his left foot at Mannone's near post. Mannone got a fingernail on it, no more, and tipped it behind for a corner. 32 min Free-kick to Arsenal about 30 yards out. Perfect range for Arteta to dink it in to the back post. Instead, he tries to flick it up for Diaby to shoot. Diaby decides not to shoot, and instead runs into two Montpellier players. That's one of those you practise on the training ground, doesn't work, and then you say: "Ah well, it'll work in the match." 30 min Arteta with a lovely chipped ball out to Jenkinson on the right touchline. Gervinho takes the ball off him and tries to play it through to Giroud, but it hits a Montpellier shin and ricochets through to goalkeeper Jourdren. Arsenal's build-up play so far has been excellent. They'll get plenty of chances to nail a final ball at this rate. 29 min "By the looks of it, Podolski is Arsenal," says Jonathan Lepcha. But I'll give him a season at most. Deja vu anyone? 27 min Crucial defensive header by Gibbs! The corner came out to Cabella, and the blue shirts were queueing up at the back post as Mertesacker was a touch late stepping up. But Gibbs put in a soaring leap and just managed to nod the ball clear. 26 min Giroud's sideways pass is poor. Mounier comes forward, shuffles into the area, and wins a corner as his left-footed cross is blocked. 25 min Belhanda wins the ball off Cazorla. Those two are having a feisty little battle in that crucial midfield zone. A lovely slice of trickery from Belhanda, rolling the ball back behind his left foot with his right, and he fools Arteta into bringing him down. 22 min Every time Jenkinson gets down the right hand side, Arsenal look like scoring. Another low cross that Bedimo thinks about blocking before deciding: "Nah, leave it." Eventually Hilton slides it behind for a corner, which is cleared. 21 min Gervinho tries to spring the offside trap and ends up with the offside trap clamped firmly and painfully around his ankle. But look at how quickly Gervinho's scurrying back into position! Someone's a bit keen. 19 min Montpellier driving forward again. Neither side quite looks solid enough at the back to stay ahead at the moment. Belhanda, who's been pulling the strings so far tonight - so far this season, really - plays it outside to Saihi, who is fouled by Gibbs. Another free-kick for Montpellier, which is wasted by Belhanda. Montpellier 1-2 Arsenal (Gervinho) Gervinho's on fire! He combines superbly with Jenkinson on the right before laying the ball off to Giroud and drifting into the centre. Giroud slips the ball back outside for Jenkinson, who curls in a low cross along the six-yard line. Gervinho is unmarked and has the simplest of tap-ins. Some start here. Montpellier 1-1 Arsenal (Podolski) Cute move from Arsenal, and they're deservedly level. Shocking defending by the home side, who just let Podolski drift unnoticed into the area. Giroud did excellently to hold the ball up and then tap the ball into Podolski's path, and Podolski could barely miss from 12 yards out. A low, left-footed shot past Joudren. 13 min Estrada attempts to drive the ball in low from 35 yards out through about sixteen pairs of feet. Unsurprisingly, things fail to go completely to plan. But Podolski's clearance goes straight ot Cabella, whose first-time shot ends up with smoke on it. Yep, someone's let off some firecrackers at one end of the ground. You've got to assume they're from the home supporters. English fans don't really bother. Who needs firecrackers when you've got homophobic chanting? 12 min Belhanda is fouled by Arteta. Free-kick to Montpellier, about 35 yards out. Estrada to take. 10 min On second glance, it looked like the linesman rather than the referee who spotted the infringement. Referee Carballo looks as though he was unsighted. Cabella clips a cross in from the left. It's over everyone, including Mannone, and out for a goal kick. Montpellier 1-0 Arsenal (Belhanda pen) Oh, it's the Panenka from Belhanda! Terrific audacity from Belhanda as Mannone flapped forlornly at a ball he was diving away from. Arsenal are still stunned after that penalty decision, but it looked a fair one on balance - Vermaelen got the wrong side of Belhanda as he danced down the side of the penalty area, and to be fair to him he almost got the ball. Unfortunately, he definitely got Belhanda, and with the foul just a couple of feet inside the area, it has to go down as a silly one by Vermaelen. 6 min Gibbs making his first foray down the left. His cross is deflected to safety. 4 min Foul by captain Yanga-Mbiwa on Podolski. It's going to be one of those stop-start nights, by the looks of it. Bocaly's handball then gives Santi Cazorla a chance to curl a free-kick in from just a couple of yards outside the box. His effort hits the wall. 2 min Diaby's foul was on Estrada. Cabella crosses the ball in from the left for Montpellier. It finds Camara in the area, and the Arsenal defence seem worryingly disinclined to tackle him. That's because they're appealing for an offside decision that is eventually given. 20 seconds Abou Diaby is booked. That's one of those moments when you find out whether the referee is messing around or not. Tonight's referee is Carlos Velasco Carballo. He's not messing around. 19.45 The teams are out at the Stade de la Mosson. Like most French football stadiums, it's small and in pretty awful condition. Montpellier are in dark blue, Arsenal in their traditionals. Steve Bould is in the main man in the dugout for Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger serving the first of a three-match touchline ban for confronting the referee after the game against AC Milan last season. We're off and running. 19.39 Paul Gascoigne: "I've never made predictions and I never will" 19.30 Big night for Olivier Giroud. Four games so far without a goal for him, but it's fair to say Montpellier have felt his absence far more keenly than Arsenal have felt his presence. They've had a nightmare start to the season, lying fifth from bottom of Ligue 1 after five games. Goals have been their problem - without Giroud's qualities as a natural target man, they've struggled to play the simple, direct football that proved so successful last season. Emanuel Herrera, the £3 million Argentinian they signed to replace him, isn't really the same kind of player, and neither is Souleymane Camara, who's being preferred through the centre tonight. One to watch out for is Younes Belhanda, a 22-year-old Moroccan midfielder who began life as a common or garden holding midfielder before moving further and further forward last season, and is now more accurately described as a playmaker or number 10. Coach Rene Girard has compared him to Robert Pires, which really isn't a wise thing to do if you want to stop Arsenal buying your best players. By the way, John Utaka is injured, so we won't be seeing him tonight. 19.00 So, here are the teams. Confirmation that Giroud starts up front against his old club, which presumably means the experiment of playing Gervinho through the centre, which paid off handsomely against Southampton, is put on ice. Otherwise, they're much as expected. Montpellier (4-2-3-1): Jourdren; Bocaly, Yanga-Mbiwa, Hilton, Bedimo; Saihi, Estrada; Mounier, Belhanda, Cabella; Camara. Subs: Pionnier, Congre, Stambouli, Marveaux, Jeunechamp, Herrera, Ait-Fana Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Mannone; Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Arteta, Diaby; Podolski, Cazorla, Gervinho; Giroud. Subs: Shea, Koscielny, Santos, Coquelin, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott. 18.45 BREAKING: Giroud and Diaby start for Arsenal 18.30 Manchester United 17, Real Madrid 16, Arsenal 15. These are the three teams who have qualified most often for the Champions League. In Arsenal's case, those 15 appearances have come in succession, and during the tenure of just one manager. To put Arsenal's achievement into perspective, the last season in which they did not compete in the Champions League was in 1997-98, when Gilles Grimandi was playing in defence, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was four, and people were still making jokes about 'Arsene' sounding a bit like 'Arsenal'. It really is the most fabulous record, given the relative size of Arsenal to the biggest clubs in Europe, the massive financial and cultural turbulence football has undergone in that period, and Gilles Grimandi. So it is unsurprising that Arsenal's Champions League campaigns tend to begin with such little fanfare. While pundits and fans gush about how far Manchester City have come from playing at the likes of the Moss Rose and the Dog And Duck a decade ago to the Bernabeu tonight, Arsenal's trajectory has been rather more placid. Perhaps that's why its fans are so apt to moan. They've been so used to sustained excellence that they're beginning to crave genuine thrills again. Put it this way, Gooners: let's say you get relegated this season, promoted the next, win the Premier League the year after that, and the Treble the year after that. Would you take it? I suspect a lot of you would. But as we all know, football is no Faustian pact. It is, rather, a series of handshake controversies occasionally punctuated by a little light ball-chasing, and so we proceed as normal, with an eminently winnable first game against quite good opposition. By the looks of things, Montpellier are a far less accomplished team this season than they were last, when they surprisingly won the French title. That feat alone makes them formidable opposition, but let's face it: any squad with John Utaka in it isn't really going to be challenging for a place in the Pantheon, so we'll be lumping the house on an away win, thank you very much. Team news to follow; in the meantime, here's a preview. Montpellier v Arsenal Stade de la Mosson Kick-off: 19.45 TV: Live Sky Sports 2 Good omen Arsenal have never lost an away fixture against Ligue 1 opposition in UEFA competitions, winning five games and drawing three. Bad omen Montpellier coach Rene Girard has the upper hand on Arsene Wenger from their Ligue 1 playing days. He twice played against the Arsenal boss, when Wenger was a defender for RC Strasbourg, winning once and drawing once. Head-to-head Never played. Montpellier against English opposition: P2 W0 D1 L1 Arsenal against French opposition: P16 W8 D6 L2 Man in charge: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain) Took charge of the Euro 2012's opening match between Poland and Greece and sent off Poland and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the second half. Key stats: 15 - Arsenal are taking part in the Champions League group stage for the 15th successive season 21 - the number of goals scored by Arsenal's Olivier Giroud in Ligue 1 for Montpellier last term 7 - players at Arsenal have played in France (Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Diaby, Gervinho, Chamakh, Arteta)