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Laurent Koscielny has lamented Arsenal ’s slow start to their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, claiming the Gunners were still asleep.
Edinson Cavani gave the French champions the lead after only 42 seconds leaving Arsenal with an uphill task from as early as the first minute.
PSG could have found themselves further ahead at half time if not for a combination of wasteful finishing and inspired goalkeeping from David Ospina .
Alexis Sanchez rescued a point for his side late on but Koscielny, who is deputising for the injured Per Mertesacker as captain, has called on his Gunners teammates to make a quicker start to games.
"It’s a good point,” said Koscielny. “We came here with ambition to get three points but when you start like this it’s hard to do that.
"I don’t know what happened early on. We slept and we need to change this in the future. When you start 1-0 down it is difficult to win.
"Both teams played well and we are happy as either side could have won."
Show all 22 1 /22PSG vs Arsenal player ratings PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Alphonse Areola Not really challenged until the final 20 minutes. Unlucky to concede the equaliser after pulling off a great initial save but he denied the Gunners’ any further chances after that. 7 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Serge Aurier A rounded and mature performance from the right-back. Handled his defensive responsibilities well and threatened going forward, linking up nicely with his teammates in the final third. 8 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Marquinhos A solid force at the heart of the PSG defence. Never made any glaring errors and happy to deal with the team’s dirty work. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Thiago Silva Kept Alexis Sanchez under wraps in the first half and was strong in the air throughout. Led his side from the back. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Maxwell Another PSG defender who impressed in the air. Came in and out of the game though while his distribution was a little off the mark at times. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Marco Verratti Dangerous presence throughout. Created chances with a number of piercing balls within Arsenal’s final third and threatened with his menacing inside runs. Tarnished his performance with a red card. 7 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Grzegorz Krychowiak A bit of a wild cannon at times but nonetheless a nuisance. Broke up Arsenal’s play and was particularly effective in the first half. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Adrien Rabiot Created chances for his side early on but drifted out of the game as it wore on. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Angel di Maria His deliveries were on point for much of the match while his neat footwork proved a menace. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Edinson Cavani Strong start, scoring within the very first minute. Missed a number of goal-scoring opportunities though which would have handed PSG the win. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Blaise Matuidi Worked hard and pressed the Arsenal defence well. Some of his deliveries into the box were a little off at times. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings David Ospina Not much he could have done for the first goal but enjoyed an excellent second half. Judged to perfection when to come off his line and put in some big saves to keep Arsenal in the game. Their star player. 8 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Hector Bellerin Struggled to get forward as much as he usually does. Very solid defensively though and put in some important interceptions. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Shkodran Mustafi A mixed performance from the German. Should have been sharper in the opening minute to deny Cavani his header but he settled into the game and covered well. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Laurent Koscielny Impressed with his interceptions and blocks, especially in the box, but gave the ball away on occasion. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal Also made some key interceptions and blocks throughout the game. After a hesitant start he settled down. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Francis Coquelin A bit reckless at times and struggled to dictate play. 5 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Santi Cazorla Much better second half and helped lead a number of Arsenal’s movements going forward. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Some sloppy passing killed his side’s momentum at times and he struggled to threaten that much going forward. 5 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Mesut Ozil Did what was expected of him. Kept Arsenal ticking over with his clever passing game but nothing exceptional. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Iwobi Had two prime opportunities to score that he missed but was intrinsic to Sanchez’s equaliser. Didn’t influence the game much until the final 15 minutes. 6 out of 10
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PSG vs Arsenal player ratings Alexis Sanchez Far too isolated in the first half but grabbed Arsenal’s all important equaliser. Willing to help out with his team’s defensive duties too. 6 out of 10
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Wenger continued his experiment of starting Sanchez as a lone striker in Paris, with the Chilean battling for over an hour before Olivier Giroud came on, and Koscielny was full of praise for his workrate.
"Yes, Sanchez played well, we found him between the lines with Ozil,” he added.
"Both teams tried to play nice football, it was a good game. We are happy with the point.
"We play well with the ball and we put them under pressure. [We have to] just continue to play our football and philosophy and it will come.”
The stand-in skipper was also impressed with how man of the match Ospina coped in his first game of the season, with regular number one Petr Cech being kept for domestic games only.
"When you play your first game it's difficult, but it is his job. He has the quality to play for us."
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