Wilshere’s brace helps Arsenal go past Marseille

LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger urged his players to "finish the job" after they moved to within sight of the Champions League knockout phase with a 2-0 win over Marseille.

Jack Wilshere scored both goals at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to leave Wengers side with 12 points from five games in Group F, but they are not yet assured of a berth in the last 16.

They need to avoid defeat at Napoli in their final group game to be sure of going through, although the qualifying permutations mean that they could still progress even if they lose at Stadio San Paolo on December 11.

Wilshere opened the scoring after only 27 seconds -- the fastest goal in the Champions League this season -- and completed his brace in the 65th minute when he converted a low cross from Mesut Ozil.

The England midfielder had previously scored only twice this season, and he said he was keen to add more goals to his repertoire.

Wenger praised the coolness of Wilshere’s opening goal, which saw him cut inside a defender before curling a shot home, and suggested he should take inspiration from team-mate Aaron Ramsey, who has already found the net 11 times for the Premier League leaders this term.

Wenger was, however, critical of Ozil, who saw a 37th-minute penalty saved by Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda following a truncated run-up.

He also expressed annoyance with midfielder Mathieu Flamini for cutting the sleeves on his shirt.

It is an Arsenal tradition that players take to the field wearing shirts with sleeves of the same length, and with Flamini’s team-mates having all-sported long-sleeve shirts, Wenger pledged to speak to the French midfielder about the matter.

With Marseille having already been eliminated, coach Elie Baup used the opportunity to give some of his younger players a taste of the Champions League.

Midfielders Mario Lemina, 20, and 21-year-old Giannelli Imbula both started the game and Baup said he hoped that they would learn from the experience. (AFP)