Mikel Arteta’s overdue tactical name sees Arsenal qualify as Premier League rivals falter

Arsenal keep their quadruple hopes alive after brushing aside Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at the Emirates to book a Champions League quarter-final spot.

Mikel Arteta’s side took Leverkusen back to the Emirates for the second leg all square at 1-1 after a late Kai Havertz penalty cancelled out Robert Andrich’s second-half goal for the hosts. And brilliant strikes either side of half-time by Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice proved to be the difference as the Gunners wrapped up a 3-1 aggregate win and will face Sporting Lisbon in the last eight.

In a week where Aston Villa were the only one of eight English teams to win in Europe, Arsenal were left in one of the best positions to qualify considering their rivals’ fates. And that expectation was felt inside the Emirates Stadium by Arteta and his players.

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Naming a near full-strength team, without the injured Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard returned and was named immediately in the starting line-up.

Odegaard’s absence has given Eberechi Eze the time to really make his mark at Arsenal, with the £67.5million summer signing failing to find his best form, only when playing Tottenham. But the England international showed his class as he unleashed a rocket into the top corner to give the Gunners a deserved lead.

Arsenal saw most of the ball and fired eight shots on target in the first-half. Only fine saves from Janis Blaswich kept Leverkusen in the tie at half-time.

The Gunners have been accused of having the handbrake on too much under Arteta, but on a night where Arsenal could have been overly cautious and sideways in possession, wary of the Bundesliga side scoring on the counter, it didn’t happen in the opening 45 with Arteta sending out his side to attack from the off.

There was a sense that Arsenal should have put the tie beyond their visitors in the first-half, and the Emirates crowd, that have been left very nervous on multiple occasions this season, were starting to feel tense again as Leverkusen began the second-half assured in possession.

However, the visitors didn’t get a sight of goal and could have been put out of the tie when Viktor Gyokeres almost picked out Piero Hincapie for a tap-in at the far post, but for a last-ditch clearance.

Just as Arsenal looked to be turning the tide, Declan Rice turned the screw, delivering a second perfectly struck shot from 20 yards of the night. Collecting a loose pass in the middle of the pitch, Rice drove forward and controlled a powerful side-footed effort into the far corner.

The second goal allowed Arteta to rest a number of key players whose minutes had to be watched ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday against Manchester City. Ben White, Martin Zubimendi, Eze and Trossard were all afforded rests.

Arsenal did have the ball in the net for a third time on the net just minutes later, but the last touch had come off Havertz’s hand in a very straightforward call for VAR to make.

Elsewhere on the night, Chelsea were battered 3-0 at Stamford Bridge by PSG to lose 8-2 on aggregate, while Manchester City’s chance of overturning a three-goal deficit to Real Madrid was all-but over after 20 minutes when Bernardo Silva was sent off and Vinicius Jr put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot.