Arsenal beat Cetic 3-1 at the Emirates to seal their progression into the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Wenger's side win 5-1 on aggregate to beat Mowbray's men
A controversial penalty decision helped Arsenal go through to the UEFA Champions League group stages at Celtic's expense at the Emirates on Wednesday. The game turned when Eduardo ran into the box and dived when Artur Boruc went towards the ball and the striker duly got up to dispatch the resulting spot-kick on 28 minutes. Emmanuel Eboue then scored following a slick passing move eight minutes after the re-start and substitute Andrey Arshavin added a third on 74 minutes. Massimo Donati hit a superb consolation in injury time for the Hoops as Arsene Wenger's side went through with a comfortable 5-1 aggregate victory. The cost of failure, both financial and in sporting terms, would have been immeasurable on the Gunners, who have consistently competed among the elite clubs of European football for more than a decade. For now, at least, the likes of Manchester City must sit and watch as Wenger's side take their place in the pot for Thursday's group stage draw in the millionaire's playground of Monaco, with expectations once again set high they can go one better than their semi-final appearance last season. Celtic, meanwhile, may be giants in Scottish football but dropping into the Europa League will prove little consolation for the missed revenue and big-match experience.Luxury
Arsenal had the luxury of a 2-0 lead from the first leg in Glasgow, and so Wenger decided to start with Robin van Persie and Arshavin on the bench. However, the front two of Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner still provided plenty of movement, combining to set up a chance for the Brazil-born Croat after nine minutes. But Eduardo was unable to stab the ball home at the far post after Boruc had palmed away Bendtner's close-range flick. Celtic boss Tony Mowbray named an unchanged XI from the side which defeated St Johnstone 5-2 last time out, and knew his men would have to take the game to Arsenal if they were to stand any chance of progress. The Hoops looked to make the most of the counter-attack, but too often delivery was poor following good build-up. The much-maligned Eboue had been pressed into a more advanced midfield role and almost opened the scoring with a shot on the turn from the edge of the Celtic area. After 28 minutes, Arsenal were awarded a penalty when Eduardo went down as Boruc advanced after he had run into the box. His dive was enough to convince Spanish referee Manuel Gonzalez, which was all that mattered - and Eduardo was certainly not worried by chants of "cheat" from the massed ranks of green behind the goal. The Croatia striker, set to face England in next month's crucial World Cup qualifier at Wembley, stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way - and all but kill off the tie.Aggrieved
Celtic were clearly aggrieved, and for a spell lost composure. It was not the Scots' lucky night, as Scott McDonald saw his far post tap-in ruled out by an offside flag with four minutes left of the first half. In first-half stoppage time, Boruc was at full stretch to push Eduardo's curling 20-yard effort around the post. But after 53 minutes, Eboue showed Eduardo how it was done, drilling a low shot past Boruc after a neat build-up, including a clever flick by Bendtner and Abou Diaby's centre. Arshavin was introduced for the final 20 minutes, along with teenager Jack Wilshere, the latest off the production line at London Colney. The Russian netted his first Champions League goal for Arsenal after a neat turn and finish after collecting Wilshere's pass after 74 minutes. Donati salvaged some wounded pride in stoppage time with a stunning volley in off the post from Andreas Hinkel's right-wing cross. Next up for Arsenal is the small matter of a trip to Manchester United in the Premier League. There Wenger's youngsters will face another stern test of character - which so far this season have all been answered.| Arsenal | Team Statistics | Celtic |
| 3 | Goals | 1 |
| 1 | 1st Half Goals | 0 |
| 6 | Shots on Target | 1 |
| 7 | Shots off Target | 6 |
| 1 | Blocked Shots | 2 |
| 4 | Corners | 1 |
| 12 | Fouls | 13 |
| 3 | Offsides | 4 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 83.2 | Passing Success | 80.3 |
| 28 | Tackles | 24 |
| 67.9 | Tackles Success | 66.7 |
| 53.1 | Possession | 46.9 |
| 51.7 | Territorial Advantage | 48.3 |