ARSENE WENGER'S first visit to an Arsenal match ended in defeat yesterday, but his new team came a glorious second.

However, for all Arsenal's renowned spirit and fight they could not match Borussia's slick, attacks and clinical finishing, exuded a ruthlessness that Wenger will have marked down as a priority to inject into his new side.

Though Borussia were full of gamesmanship and theatrically fell at the merest hint of a tackle, they redeemed their image whenever they broke forward, using Arsenal's desire to press for victory to their own ends, by sucking in the north London team then the break.

"We came to have a go," said Wenger's number two Pat Rice. "In the end we were disappointed." Losing 3-2 at home prove too costly.

In the tradition of much of Arsenal's season they had to go behind last night before showing their best. But they came back impressively and at 2-1 ahead on the night needed only one more goal to pull off a remarkable win in the tie.

Even when the Germans made it 2-2 on the night, a third goal for Arsenal would have brought the reward of extra time, but in pushing forward they left themselves under staffed at the back and instead it was the Germans who pocketed the third coal.

Had Arsenal's strikers been as accurate they might well have pulled this tie out of the bag. In the first 20 minutes, Hartson and Wright both worked clear scoring chances but despite taking aim, both directed the ball straight at the goalkeeper.

Though the Germans had been active at the other end - Seaman blocking shots from Petterson and Juskowiak - Arsenal enjoying a period of sustained pressure as they tried to bludgeon their way through. But then Borussia scored.

Wright lost possession just outside the Borussia area, the ball was quickly played to Effenberg, whose first time pass allowed Juskowiak, who opened the scoring in the first leg, to get on the wrong side of Linighan and slot past Seaman.

Arsenal dug in, regrouped and two minutes before the break equalised when Merson's long free kick was nodded to Wright by Hartson and the striker scored his 15th goal in 17 European ties.

Wenger changed to a back four after the break, maintaining the team's momentum with the eventual introduction of fresh legs and more vigour and speed in the tackling, so disrupting the Germans' flow and classy one twos.

Just four minutes into the half and Arsenal went ahead, some classy one twos of their own by Vieira and Winterburn ferrying the ball to Platt who fed Merson. Standing about 25 yards out, the revelation of Arsenal's season looked up, took aim and unleashed one of his specials into the top corner.

But as Arsenal pushed for the winner, the Germans' often found themselves breaking into the sort of ominous striking positions and showed they were capable of capitalising on. At first the swift one twos that unlocked the back line lacked an end product, Juskowiak shooting wide while Effenberg later hit a post.

Three minutes later, however, he made no mistake,, Hochstatter's great turn on the ball finding Juskowiak free on the left of the area and Pole placed the ball on a plate for the Borussia captain to equalise.

Parlour and Helder came on and made some threatening runs down both wings but either the final ball lacked enough subtlety or there were simply too many Germans back in the box for any meaningful shot to get through.

In injury time Borussia broken away again, Wynhoff surging down the left and pulling the ball, back for the unmarked Juskowiak to score his second goal of the night.

It was a disappointing end to a brave performance. Wenger immediately left for the airport to fly back to Japan but will have been encouraged by what he saw though maybe concerned at what he did not.

However, as Rice pointed out afterwards: "Our consolation could be that if we beat Sunderland, as we should, on Saturday we will be top of the Premiership."