Arsenal superbly came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final first leg at Emirates Stadium
It was billed as a clash between the world's two best footballing sides, but for the best part of 70 minutes it looked like the biggest mis-match of the season.
Barca were rampant from the first whistle and only a combination of superb goalkeeping, good luck and bad finishing prevented Arsenal from going into the interval a hatful of goals down.
Unfortunately their luck did not last long into the second half and once Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the Catalans ahead within 30 seconds and then added a second just before the hour mark, it looked like the tie was over.
However, Theo Walcott came off the bench to give Arsenal a foothold in the game in the 69th minute and Carlos Puyol gave away a penalty that Cesc Fabregas converted with five minutes remaining as Arsene Wenger's men completed a remarkable fightback.
Fabregas will miss the return leg after picking up an earlier booking but Arsenal will take plenty of heart from a final 20 minutes that lived up to all expectations.
Fabregas had given the Gunners a boost when he passed a fitness test shortly before kick-off but the good feeling did not last long around the Emirates as Barca instantly slipped into top gear.
Manuel Almunia saved at full-stretch from Sergio Busquet and then low to block a Lionel Messi effort, and Ibrahimovic put over when it was easier to score soon after, although he was offside anyway.
That was all inside the first 10 minutes and the onslaught didn't end there, with Messi firing over and Almunia producing a wonderful double save to deny Ibrahimovic from point-blank range and then Xavi from the follow-up. Alex Song then popped up to clear Messi's effort off the line as the Gunners somehow escaped.
Samir Nasri curled an effort just wide as the hosts finally woke up and Nicklas Bendtner really should have scored when hitting at Victor Valdes and then the post after being picked out in the box. An offside flag spared the striker's blushes.
Injuries to Andrey Arshavin and William Gallas - they were replaced by Emmanuel Eboue and Denilson - heaped more misery on Arsenal before half-time but the biggest blow came when Fabregas picked up a booking that rules him out of the second leg.
If that wasn't bad enough then what happened within 30 seconds of the restart most certainly was. Gerard Pique's long ball down the right caught the home defence off guard but Ibrahimovic was quickly alive to it, racing into the box and then lobbing Almunia after he decided, clearly quite wrongly, to race out of his box in pursuit of the ball.
Bendtner and Xavi exchanged headed chances from which both should have scored before Ibrahimovic did add a second in the 59th minute. The Gunners were caught out by another ball over the defence and Ibrahimovic again capitalised to fire a sweet effort into the top right corner.
It looked like it was game and tie over there and then but Wenger had a final throw of the dice with 24 minutes remaining when he threw on Walcott for Bacary Sagna.
And it proved to be an inspired change as the England winger got onto Bendtner's pass squeezed a shot under Valdes just three minutes after coming on.
Thierry Henry replaced Ibrahimovic with 14 minutes remaining but it was to be a current Arsenal hero that had the last say in the game.
Fabregas was just about to pull the trigger in the box when Puyol brought him down and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and sending the Barca defender off.
Fabregas stepped up himself to fire straight down the middle and, although he injured himself in the process, scoring the goal that gives Arsenal a great chance in Spain will ease the midfielder's disappointment at missing the return.
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