Following a sobering previous week for English sides in this competition, Mikel Arteta’s team were in a comparably enviable position heading into this second leg at the Emirates.
With the aggregate score level at kick-off, they were eager to seize an early and potentially decisive advantage here. Leandro Trossard had two early opportunities, as he dragged his shot wide before seeing a separate attempt pushed around the post by Janis Blaswich.
The Leverkusen shot-stopper was certainly kept busy in a frantic first half, denying Trossard twice more and acting as a formidable last line of defence for Die Werkself.
However, that defence was soon breached in emphatic fashion when Eberechi Eze unleashed an unstoppable right-footed strike from the edge of the box past Blaswich, scoring his first-ever UCL goal in some style.
Trossard would have yet another opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet when his right-footed shot sailed a whisker wide of the far post, but it was Declan Rice who doubled the lead for Arteta’s men with a very classy finish.
The England midfielder strode into a central position just outside the box and curled a superb shot into the bottom corner.
Eze was looking for a second when he glided forward and cut inside onto his left foot, but Jarell Quansah was on hand to make a fine sliding block. However, with the former Crystal Palace forward carrying a knock, Arteta took no chances and replaced him with Kai Havertz heading into the final 20 minutes.
It didn’t take the former Leverkusen forward too long to get involved in the thick of the action, having a goal disallowed for a foul on Malik Tillman. The visitors had a rare opportunity to reduce the deficit, but David Raya made a superb save to push away Christian Kofane’s sliding effort.
This was a fine night’s work for a Gunners side that can take the first step towards an unprecedented quadruple when they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Judging by the way in which they got the task done here with such ruthless efficiency, that objective is far from fanciful. A quarter-final meeting with Sporting now awaits, while Kasper Hjulmand’s side are left to focus on their battle to secure UCL qualification for next season when they face Heidenheim on Saturday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
