Magic touch of Edu

Wenger said: 'The turning point came when Celta hit the bar just after half-time, but we never panicked, even when Celta hit back at us with goals.

Whenever we needed to score another goal we found the resources to do it.'

For that, much thanks must go to the footwork of the unsung Brazilian midfield player Edu and the French wizardry of Robert Pires.

It was Pires who supplied the decisive third goal, but it was the unassuming Edu who set the tone and provided the inspiration for Arsenal's triumph.

'Edu's second was a great individual goal and Robert's was a great collective goal,' said Wenger.

'I was delighted for Edu. I thought he was looking to make a pass but when he couldn't find someone he had no option but to shoot.'

Edu said: 'Arsene is right. When I got to the edge of the penalty area I wanted to pass. But there was no one to pass to. So I shot and as soon as I hit the ball I knew it was going in. I've never scored before with my right foot from that distance.'

For Edu, who scored the winner against Chelsea at the weekend, his perfectly-placed shot was his fourth goal in his last seven starts.

'Every player has good periods in every season and this is one of his,' added Wenger. 'He may not play every week but what you can say is that he improves as a player every season.'

Loitering at the back post in the 18th minute, Edu had the presence of mind to dispute a loose ball with Celta goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero. He emerged triumphant with the ball in the back of the net and Cavallero nursing a bloody nose.

Nine minutes later, Celta's Brazilian Edu rose majestically above the Arsenal defence to head home a free-kick from the former Arsenal defender Silvinho.

It was a textbook English-style centre forward's goal, but Arsenal's Edu came up with a classic in the 58th minute that owed more to the samba traditions of Brazilian football.

Deftly switching the ball from one foot to the other, he eluded three challenges on the edge of the area before finally bending a right-foot shot into the far corner of the net.

Once again, Celta coach Raddy Antic's team made a mockery of their lowly position in the Spanish League by forcing their way back into the game. This time Jose Ignacio scored from close range after Arsenal failed to clear a corner.

But their joy was short lived. In the 80th minute Thierry Henry, strangely subdued for much of the match, exchanged passes with Pires in a build-up that propelled them to the edge of the Celta penalty area. Henry supplied the final pass, giving Pires the chance to steer his shot calmly past Cavallero.

'In France, when things are going well we say that we are in the clouds,' said Pires. 'That is how we feel now. But we have to be careful. We don't want too much fire and excitement. We want to stay calm because there is a danger in believing that everything is beautiful and nothing can go wrong.'

It has gone wrong in the past, as Edu pointed out. 'It was a really good win to win in Spain,' he said. 'But we know we'll have to play a lot better if we want to go all the way to the final.'

Realistically, only some unforseen catastrophe can now deny them a place in the last eight of the Champions League. 'Football is about character and it's up to my players to pick themselves up,' said Antic. 'But it's obvious that Arsenal are now clear favourites to go through.'