Treble trail

Arsenal stays on course with 3-2 win at Celta Vigo

Edu scored in minutes 18 and 58 for the Gunners. Phil Cole/Getty Images

VIGO, Spain (Reuters) -- Arsenal took a giant step towards the quarterfinals of the Champions League when they ended their Spanish jinx by winning 3-2 at Celta Vigo on Tuesday.

Two goals from their Brazilian midfielder Edu, the second a wonderfully struck curling shot from the edge of the area, and a masterfully worked winner from Robert Pires 10 minutes from time gave the premier league leaders the advantage at the end of a thrilling first leg of this first knockout stage tie.

It also kept them in contention for the treble of English league, FA Cup and Champions League successes this season -- as well as giving them their first victory in a competitive match in Spain after five defeats.

With Arsenal unbeaten in the premier league this season it is hard to imagine Celta overturning the deficit when they visit Highbury in two weeks.

But Arsenal rode their luck against the home side who started slowly but gradually played their way back into a pulsating game.

In the end the sheer class and close understanding between French international colleagues Thierry Henry and Pires secured Arsenal's win.

They combined with a series of exchanges to split open the Celta defense and the home side, who twice came from behind, were finally left without a reply.

Brazilian midfielder Edu twice gave Arsenal the lead, the first time with a scrappy goal in which Celta keeper Pablo Cavallero suffered a facial injury but stayed on to complete the match.

Twice Celta leveled within 10 minutes, first through their own Brazilian midfielder Luis Edu who scored with a perfectly- placed header after a free kick from former Gunner Silvinho, and then from Jose Ignacio who prodded the ball home after Arsenal failed to clear a corner.

But winger Pires linked up neatly with Henry deep inside the Celta penalty area in the 80th minute before stroking the ball past keeper Pablo Cavallero.

Arsenal, with Patrick Vieira, Edu and Kolo Toure dominating the opposition, enjoyed plenty of possession but Celta battled hard with Alexander Mostovoi at the heart of most of their moves and Luis Edu a constant threat.

CONFIDENT START

Arsenal, brimming with confidence after their 26-match unbeaten start to their premier league campaign and boosted by three successive Champions League wins before the winter break, began the match the far sharper side.

They should have made their early dominance tell too after only 12 minutes when Henry executed a perfect back-heel to set up an excellent scoring chance for Jose Antonio Reyes, playing his first match back in Spain since his 17 million pounds ($31.88 million) move from Sevilla last month.

But the 20-year-old's shot from the edge of the box lacked power and goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero saved easily. Reyes had a good chance in the second half too but overall made little impression and was replaced by Nwankwo Kanu 12 minutes from time.

In contrast to Arsenal's league form Celta's has been poor with the side hovering just above the relegation zone and their hesitancy was underlined when they broke through the Arsenal defense after 15 minutes only for Savo Milosevic to take too long to control and shoot before goalkeeper Jens Lehmann smothered his effort.

But after a shaky start Celta stepped up a gear after going a goal behind and the result could have been different had Mostovoi's header 30 seconds into the second half gone in instead of rebounding from the bar with the score at 1-1.

Vieira: Gunners have learned from previous failures

VIGO, Spain (Reuters) -- Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira said that years of frustration in the Champions League had contributed to the team's 3-2 away win over Celta Vigo on Tuesday.

The premier league leaders have reached the quarterfinals only once in five Champions League campaigns and had never won a European game in Spain but Tuesday's success in the first leg of their first knockout round tie has put them in a very strong position to reach the last eight.

"We have had good teams in the last three or four seasons but not done well enough in the Champions League," Vieira said.

"The difference now is that we've won this game tonight, whereas in the past we might have lost or drawn it."

But when asked if this was the best-equipped Arsenal team to deal with the competition, the French midfielder was reluctant to commit himself.

"I don't want to put ourselves under more pressure," he said.

Coach Arsene Wenger watched his side twice lose a lead earned by goals from Brazilian midfielder Edu before Robert Pires finally secured the win.

"We worked very hard but Celta Vigo made us work hard by making it very difficult for us," said the Frenchman.

"We also gave away two goals at set pieces which is very unusual for us.

"The turning point of the game came when (Alexander) Mostovoi hit the bar at the start of the second half (with the score at 1-1). Had that gone in, it might have been a very different story.

"They played very well going forward, that gave us more space to be creative and we could have created more in the last 25 minutes.

"Our second goal was a great individual goal, the third was a great collective effort. I thought Edu was looking for a partner to play to, but then he realized he had no options, he had to shoot and with his right foot as well."

Arsenal are now strong favorites to advance but, predictably, Wenger was reluctant to start celebrating.

"We are in a good position but it is far from over," he said.

"One of the keys will be the mental approach for the second leg. It is important that we go into the game and try to win it."

Celta coach Radomir Antic was unhappy with some refereeing decisions that he said cost his side dearly.

"I think that there were three clear-cut decisions that went against us," he said.

"The first was a foul on our goalkeeper for their first goal, the second when Silvinho was pushed (by Arsenal defender Kolo Toure in the penalty area) in the first half and the third involved Mostovoi.

"It is now our responsibility to show some real character and to pick ourselves up after that defeat."

Summary

Celta Vigo 2 Arsenal 3 -- result

Champions League, first knockout round, first leg

Scorers:

Celta Vigo -- Luis Edu 27, Jose Ignacio 65

Arsenal -- Edu 18, 58, Robert Pires 80

Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 21,000

Teams: Celta Vigo: 1-Pablo Cavallero; 2-Juan Velasco, 23-Sergio, 6-Eduardo Berizzo, 3-Silvinho; 8-Angel (7-Vagner 64), 22-Peter Luccin, 16-Jose Ignacio, 19-Luis Edu (18-Pinilla 75); 10-Alexander Mostovoi; 9-Savo Milosevic Arsenal: 1-Jens Lehmann; 12-Lauren, 28-Kolo Toure, 23-Sol Campbell, 22-Gael Clichy (18-Pascal Cygan 90); 8-Freddie Ljungberg (37-David Bentley 90), 17-Edu, 4-Patrick Vieira, 7-Robert Pires; 14-Thierry Henry, 9-Jose Antonio Reyes (25-Nwankwo Kanu 78).

Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)

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