Arsenal Make Hard Work Of P.S.V.

LONDON (AFP) - Arsenal needed an own goal to brush aside PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League Group E opener at Highbury.
Under pressure from Patrick Vieira, centre-half Alex turned Thierry Henry's cross past his own keeper in the 42nd minute to gift the Gunners a 1-0 win, ensuring no repeat of last season's first night slip-up for the English champions.
Arsenal lost 3-0 to visitors Inter Milan in their opening Champions League fixture last season but laboured their way to victory this time against the Dutch league runners-up.
Both sides began with cautious passing but it did not take long for Arsenal to state their intent.
France forward Henry laid a perfectly-measured pass inside PSV right-back Andre Ooijer for Jose Antonio Reyes in the 13th minute, but after being turned on the edge of the box, Ooijer recovered to block the Spaniard's shot out for a corner.
Gunners winger Robert Pires wasted another good chance, fluffing his shot wide after England left-back Ashley Cole's inviting 28th-minute cross.
PSV keeper Edwin Zoetebier did not inspire confidence, slipping up when clearing and repeating the feat at the second attempt.
But he did well to shut out a stinging free kick from Henry after 31 minutes, deflecting the ball skywards before completing the save.
Pires thought he had scored six minutes before the break after Zoetebier blocked another fierce drive from Henry back into play, again trying spectacular over safe, but the nodded-in follow-up was offside.
Following an over-hit corner three minutes later though, Arsenal got their goal.
The ball seemed to be heading out of play on the touchline, but Henry outsprinted Philip Cocu to recuperate it before skipping into the box and past Ooijer to the goal-line.
He pulled it back for Vieira in the goalmouth but PSV defender Alex stumbled under pressure to score an own goal before the Gunners captain could finish.
Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had little to do as the Gunners restricted their visitors to hopeful pot-shots.
Park Ji-Sung connected with Ooijer's deep cross just before the hour mark but the South Korea midfielder's header dipped just over as PSV increased the tempo.
The Gunners almost doubled their advantage with 17 minutes left, but Vieira could not stetch far enough at the back post to turn in Gilberto's flick-on from a Dennis Bergkamp free kick.
PSV should have equalised five minutes later when Cocu's deep cross found substitute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the box, but he blasted his shot wide across Lehmann with Pascal Cygan almost scoring an own goal of his own.
In the Premiership this season, Arsenal have cruised past their opponents with 19 goals in five matches.
But PSV's late warning will remind them they will need to kill teams off with similar forward firepower if they are to surpass the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.