AC Milan 0
Arsenal 2
Fabregas 84 Adebayor 90
AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 (0-2 agg) March 04 2008
A dominant performance by Arsenal booked their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals after they survived early jitters to emerge triumphant against AC Milan at the San Siro.
A superlative solo effort by Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor's maiden Champions League strike, both in the final six minutes, proved to be the Rossoneri's undoing as their ageing backline had no defence against Arsenal's high-tempo fare.
The first half-chance fell to Genaro Gattuso in the sixth minute when a slight mistimed interception by William Gallas found the Milan midfielder about ten yards outside the penalty area. His shot took a deflection and presented no threat on goal.
The chance seemed to enlivened the hosts as they piled on pressure. Paulo Maldini's glanced header on nine minutes was saved on the line by Manuel Almunia, who made a good recovery after initially being wrong-footed.
A minute later Arsenal skipper William Gallas went down injured after clashing heads with Andrea Pirlo but to the Gunners relief he resumed playing after receiving some treatment.
Arsenal created a great chance of their own in the 13th minute after Emmanuel Adebayor turned two Milan defenders inside out before setting up Abou Diaby on the edge of the penalty area. Diaby went for placement rather than power and narrowly missed curling the ball into the top-right corner.
Alexandre Pato spurned the best chance of the opening twenty minutes when he shot tamely straight at Almunia after being picked out on the far post by Fillipo Inzaghi.
Arsenal looked incredibly suspect when defending setpieces and Inzaghi missed a free-header from a corner on the twenty-minute mark.
Then followed a five-minute spell when Arsenal were left chasing shadows as the Rossoneri completely dominated.
But the north London outfit rallied magnificently.
Adebayor forced Kalac into a fantastic save just before the half-hour mark with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area. This proved the start of a resurgence by Arsenal as they enjoyed a spell inside the Milan half although they failed to fashion a clear chance on goal.
Alex Hleb was harshly booked for simulation when replays showed that he'd been rather heavily fouled on the edge of the penalty area.
Fabregas hit the crossbar in the 34th minute thanks to some superb interplay between Adebayor and Gael Clichy down the left.
Arsenal were completely dominant at this point, running the aging Milan defence ragged.
The Gunners came out of the break in the same mood as they left the pitch, and it took a mere two minutes for Senderos to have the first shot on goal from a corner but he fired straight at Kalac with half the goal at his mercy.
Pirlo came close to stealing a goal against the run of play when his free-kick dipped nastily in front of Almunia but the Gunners keeper managed to get a glove on it and send the ball behind for a corner.
The normally unflappable Pirlo almost comitted a disastrous error in the 51st minute when he passed the ball straight to Adebayor on the edge of the penalty area. The Togolese frontman lay the ball on for Eboue who somehow contrived to screw his shot off the outside of his boot and to the right of goal.
With twenty minutes left on the clock both managers opted to make a change - Arsene Wenger choosing to test the Milan defence with the pace of Theo Walcott while Alberto Gilardino replaced the ineffectual Inzaghi in Milan's attack.
The Gunners were cruelly denied on 75 minutes when Fabregas' chip found Walcott on the far post. He shaped to shoot then dragged the ball back to three waiting Arsenal players only for Kalac to rather fortunately connect with a flailing foot before diving on the loose ball ahead of an off-balance Adebayor.
Pato created a good chance for AC Milan on 76-minutes when he was picked out on the right. He cut back across Senderos and shot powerfully from the edge of the penalty area but the ball sailed wide of goal.
But it took another youngster in the form of Cesc Fabregas to swing the tie with five minutes to go. Proving that no occasion is too big the young Spaniard picked the ball up in midfield, coasted past a defender and blasted the ball into the bottom-left corner from 25-yards out.
The Rossoneri desperately searched for the two goals they needed to remain in the competition but it was not to be as Arsenal sealed the result with Adebayor's strike at the death after Walcott outpaced his marker on the right and slid the ball across goal.
The goal was Adebayor's first for Arsenal in the Champions League and what a stage to score it on!
The result keeps the Gunners dreams of the double alive while Arsene Wenger could have asked for no better result following a tumultuous two weeks for his young side.