Arsenal - 2 Porto - 1: Arsenal's new shirts, given their first airing here, proudly proclaim the end of the Highbury era. Yet for all their hope of graduating into Europe's elite with the move to the £365 million Emirates Stadium, there is unease among their fans that the new dawn will prove to be false
For as the curtain is drawn on 87 years of history in one part of Islington, there are new pressures in another. With Chelsea's riches suffocating the Premiership, Arsenal's board is wrestling with a £260 million debt on the stadium project.
"I'm a little cautious about just buying players," said Arsene Wenger. "We have good young players. I want to integrate them into the team. I am at a stage where I have to make a place for them in the team or I kill what I did."
Wenger confirmed that reports linking his club to Nacional's £4 million Uruguay international goalkeeper Sebastian Viera held true, though he stressed it is "far from being done".
Only Alexandr Hleb, who put in another bright and busy performance as Arsenal wrapped up a tournament win here last night, has prevented Arsenal from suffering a barren summer in the transfer market.
The hole vacated by Patrick Vieira's £13.75 million departure to Juventus has yet to be plugged and the effects of his absence will not truly be felt until the season proper begins.
Wenger persisted with the comparatively lightweight Robert Pires and Mathieu Flamini in central midfield last night and it exposed Arsenal's defensive weaknesses.
When Pascal Cygan omitted to clear Jorginho's cross and Philippe Senderos failed even to attend to Lisandro Lopez, the ball was walked into their net for the opener here. Questions cloud the future of Sol Campbell, whose Achilles problem is set to prevent him from featuring in Sunday's Community Shield.
Yet there was sufficient evidence last night of their continued ability to craft breathtaking football.
It came only after the introduction of Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp, whose years of understanding with Thierry Henry and Pires always enhance Arsenal, taking just four minutes for Ljungberg to make his mark.
Ashley Cole's left-wing centre was turned by a defender's foot into the Swede's path and he sidefooted home from 20 yards. Arsenal had the lead when Hleb's header found Bergkamp, who fed Flamini. He saw Ljungberg 10 yards out and again the midfielder's finish was unerring.
ARSENAL: Lehmann; Lauren (Eboue 65 mins), Senderos (Toure 65 mins), Cygan, Cole (Hoyte 75 mins); Bentley (Ljungberg half-time), Flamini, Pires (Djourou 80 mins), Hleb; Reyes (Bergkamp half-time), Henry. Subs not used: Howard, Hoyte, Muamba, Lupoli.
FC PORTO: Baia; Sonkaya (Pepe 75 mins), Costa, Pedro Emanuel, Leandro (Ivanildo 75 mins); Jorginho, Raul Meireles, Lucho Gonzalez (Paulo Assuncao 75 mins), Lopea, (Hugo Almeida 75 mins); Postiga, McCarthy (Sokota 81 mins). Subs not used: Helton, Alves.
Referee: R Bossen.
Guardian Service
