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Although Celta started the brighter in the early exchanges with Peter Luccin occupying Jens Lehmann with a long range deflected shot, the writing was pretty much on the wall for the Spaniards after 14 minutes thanks largely to the evergreen Dennis Bergkamp.
Remember the assist he gave Freddie Ljungberg against Juventus a couple of years back? This was almost a carbon copy. The Dutchman rode one challenge in the inside right channel, pirouetted away from two more challenges on the edge of the area and then, with one impudent flick with the outside of his right boot he sent a reverse pass into the path of Henry who then slammed the ball home first time.
To their credit, Celta made a decent response. Luccin forced Lehmann to tip a dipping volley over the bar and from the resulting corner Ignacio sliced a close range shot wide after a scramble in the Arsenal box.
After 20 minutes, Arsenal old boy Sylvinho was forced to come off due to injury. He was given a warm and sympathetic ovation as he left the field which was great to see and he was replaced by Contreras. Ten minutes later Celta were laced into another substitution as Luccin struggled to run off a knee injury picked up in a fairly innocuous collision with Edu. It was a pity for Luccin; he had looked very lively in Celta’s midfield and he was replaced by Jesuli.
It was just after that when Arsenal created their second opportunity of the night. Cole intercepted an attempted pass, Bergkamp took up possession and fed a return pass to Cole who bore down on the penalty area. However Cole scuffed his shot come cross and though Ljungberg reached the loose ball he could not profit from it.
With ten minutes of the first half remaining Arsenal doubled their lead with an excellent move. Pires found Ljungberg on the right with an astute pass and the Swede quickly moved the ball to Bergkamp just inside the area. The Dutchman laid the ball back to Ljungberg who whipped over a first time cross. The ball glanced off the head of a Celta defender straight into the path of Henry and he made no mistake from close range.
Once again Celta tried to make a quick riposte. A dangerous ball was chipped from the right to the far past and Pinilla, under pressure from Lauren, hooked his shot wide.
Gustavo Lopez then tested Lehmann again with a viciously struck free kick and then when the ball was worked to him from the resulting corner, Lopez unleashed a fierce drive when Lehmann had to divert behind once again.
Back came Arsenal in stoppage time when they really should have made it 3-0. Vieira won two tackles in midfield and when the ball broke to Ljungberg he sent Pires scuttling through in goal. Having got to the edge of the box, Pires decided to check back and square the ball to Henry but the Celta keeper, Cavallero, bravely smothered his shot.
The second half started off with precious little incident. Lehmann had to be alert though after 55 minutes when a Celta free kick was inadvertently flicked goalwards by Kolo Toure but two minutes later Arsenal sprang to life.
Henry wriggled away from two challenges in midfield and surged towards the Spanish penalty area; he then fed a pass through to Pires who was unmarked but an uncharacteristic piece of poor control allowed Cavallero to save at his feet.
A minute later Celta were awarded a free kick. Caceres got free at the far post and his header was diverted behind once again by Lehmann. At this point, the Arsenal began to feel that the game was all but over and indulged in a one touch keep ball session. It was after one such passage of keep ball that Bergkamp went close. Vieria was found on the edge of the box and he nonchalantly flipped the ball over the top to Bergkamp who was clattered by the keeper in the act of lobbing the ball just over the bar. Why we were not awarded a penalty I will never know. Cavellero came out and caught Bergkamp with a kung-fu kick, studs first in the chest, but somehow the normally eagle eyed referee, Pierluigi Collina, missed it. Amazing really, when you consider how fussy he had been throughout.
With around 20 minutes to go there was a flurry of substitutions, Edu and Pires were replaced by Reyes and Gilberto. Celta responded by taking Gustavo Lopez off and bringing on Wagner. Gilberto made an almost instant impact. It was he who surged through the midfield to put Henry through. Cavellero again thwarted Henry as he advanced and when the loose ball ran to Ljungberg the swede was wayward with his attempted finish.
With just over 15 minutes to go Celta’s frustration finally boiled over with Contreras, already booked for a nasty lunge from behind on Ljungberg, seeing a second yellow then a red for cynically taking out Jose Reyes with what appeared to be an elbow to the throat..
If the die had not already been cast for Celta up until that point, there was no doubt that there was definitely no way back for the Spaniards after the sending off. Ljungberg almost made it 3 when he headed a Lauren cross just wide, but it did not matter.
The Arsenal, for only the second time in six seasons, were through to the last eight. We put on a very composed display that had all the assurance of a side that appears to have come of age. I wonder if they were watching in Manchester?