Alexis Sanchez bails out Arsenal at home against Besiktas

Alexis Sanchez, left, celebrates with Arsenal teammate Jack Wilshere after scoring the winner against Besiktas during their Uefa Champions League qualifier in London. Eddie Keogh / Reuters

What is impressive is not how it was done, but that it was done at all.

Arsenal was far from its best in overcoming a neat but ultimately punchless Besiktas, and lived on its nerves after being reduced to 10 men with 15 minutes to go by the sending off of Mathieu Debuchy, but it made it into the group stage of the Uefa Champions League for the 17th successive season.

Whatever else manager Arsene Wenger has achieved, however frustrated fans might have been by a nine-year trophy drought that ended only with the FA Cup success in May, that is a hugely impressive record.

Arsenal simply do not lose these play-offs. They are impeccably consistent, which perhaps explains the slight air of complacency around the Emirates.

As the Besiktas fans bounced noisily in one corner, Arsenal’s backers seemed to be waiting for the inevitable. Their players, too, seemed to lack some urgency.

There were flurries of neat passes, the occasional threat, but never any consistent pressure as Besiktas enjoyed lengthy periods of possession, without ever really creating anything – other than a very good shot for a penalty when Jack Wilshere seemed to go through the back of Ramon Motta.

The referee Pedro Proenca’s decision not to award a penalty proved pivotal. Three minutes later, in first-half injury time, Arsenal finally took the lead.

Wilshere played a one-two with Mesut Ozil and, when the ball came back to him Alexis Sanchez pinched the ball almost off his toes to tuck it past Tolka Zengin in the Besiktas goal.

Similar to Everton on Saturday, Alexis had started as a false nine, and as at Everton, he looked far from comfortable in the role.

Wenger is apparently convinced that the Chilean will, in time, develop into the position, but for all his talent and pace, there were only fleeting signs of his aptitude for that particular role yesterday.

Twice in the first half, promising situations were wasted when he made one run and Ozil played a pass for a quite different one.

Although that understanding should develop with time, there was little evidence that Alexis will not be better employed either on the wing or behind a centre-forward.

The issue, of course, has become more urgent over the past few days with the news that Olivier Giroud, who came off the bench at Everton and changed the game, has damaged his ankle and will be out for four months.

That has led to suggestions that Wenger will look to sign another forward – most fans would probably suggest they need reinforcing in that area anyway, whether Giroud is fit or not – before the transfer window shuts, with Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck named as a potential target.

Louis van Gaal, the United manager, has reportedly told Welbeck he can leave.

However, Wenger has resisted signings to cover for injuries before and getting a deal done before the transfer period ends on Monday may prove difficult. Certainly there is need of a greater cutting edge.

There were times when this felt like typical Arsenal, flattering to deceive and struggling to offer much in the way of end product.

Chance after chance fell their way in the second half, but none were taken. So, when Debuchy was harshly sent off for a second yellow card with 15 minutes remaining, there was real anxiety.

But ultimately, Besiktas lacked the quality to mount the sort of consistent assault that might have troubled Arsenal and gave away needless free-kicks that relieved the pressure.

It was not good from Arsenal, but it was enough.

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