Arsenal survived a scare to make it through to the last four of the Europa League as they battled back to earn a 2-2 draw away at CSKA Moscow.
Late goals from Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey put the tie out of sight following a brave effort from the Russian hosts.
Fedor Chalov and Kirill Nababkin had struck either side of half time to make things interesting, but the Gunners went through 6-3 on aggregate in the end.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Europa League quarter-final second-leg tie between CSKA Moscow and Arsenal at the CSKA Arena. The Gunners head to the Russian capital boasting a 4-1 lead from last week's reverse fixture, courtesy of braces from Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey.
This should be a straightforward evening for Arsenal - emphasis there on the word 'should' following events from the past couple of days across the continent. We have already seen both Barcelona and Real Madrid squander three-goal leads from the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final ties; can the Gunners learn from the Spanish giants and see things through in a professional manner?
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Wilshere; Ramsey, Ozil, Welbeck; Lacazette
SUBS: Chambers, Holding, Iwobi, Kolasinac, Macey, Mertesacker, Nketiah
Starting with a look at the away side, Arsene Wenger has very much gone with the starting lineup expected for this second-leg tie. Petr Cech once again starts in goal due to the minor injury picked up by David Ospina last week, with Matt Macey providing cover, while up the other end of the pitch Alexandre Lacazette leads the line in the absence of ineligible striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Wenger will likely go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck playing just off Lacazette, although that could easily be a 4-3-2-1 if Ramsey drops a little deeper - the Gunners do not have to chase a goal, after all. Defensive midfield is otherwise comprised of Jack Wilshere and Mohamed Elneny, the latter of whom has had his red card from the win over Southampton rescinded.
The visitors make seven changes on the back of their 3-2 win over the Saints, or just two from the 4-1 first-leg win against CSKA. Elneny and Welbeck come into the side for Granit Xhaka and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who miss out through illness and injury respectively. Wenger would have liked to have had Mkhitaryan in the side tonight, as the Armenian has experience of both winning this competition and also winning at this ground earlier in the season.
CSKA MOSCOW TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Akinfee; Kuchaev, A.Berezutski, Ignashevich, V.Berezutski, Nababkin; Bistrovich, Dzagoev, Golovin; Musa, Chalov
SUBS: Pomazun, Milanov, Vitinho, Shchennikov, Matcho, Zhamaletdinov, Khosonov
Switching attention to the home side, Viktor Goncharenko has gone with a back five - or more likely a back three, with a few goals required - which is spearheaded by Ahmed Musa and Fyodor Chalov. The former needs little introduction, of course, as he is well known to Premier League viewers from his time with Leicester City - indeed, he made his debut against Arsenal in August 2016.
Musa failed to impress in the reverse fixture, though, and he has just one goal in nine matches since arriving from Leicester. Another well-known player in the CSKA ranks is goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who has played every minute of his side's European campaign this term, keeping seven clean sheets in 15 outings. Another will almost certainly be required this evening if they are to progress through, you feel.
CSKA welcome back right wing-back Kirill Nababkin following his absence in the first leg through suspension. Konstantin Kuchaev is on the opposite flank, meanwhile, and both players will need to get high up the field to provide some attacking support, knowing that goals are a must tonight. Aleksandr Golovin, a goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium, and Alan Dzagoev are included in midfield.
Arsene Wenger makes two changes on the back of last week's 4-1 first-leg win, both of which are enforced. Granit Xhaka misses out through illness, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is struggling with a knee injury that will likely keep him out for the remainder of the month. Mohamed Elneny and Danny Welbeck are therefore brought in to help see the job through.
CSKA have made three changes from the first leg - Kirill Nababkin, Fyodor Chalov and Kristijan Bistrovic all come into the side. This is a huge evening for the Russian club, as they seek just a second triumph on the continent following their only previous success in the 2004-05 UEFA Cup. It is a daunting task, though, as they trail 4-1 from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
A frantic opening 45 minutes to that first leg saw five goals netted - four of those for Arsenal, leaving them with a foot in the semi-finals of the competition. Golovin did temporarily level things up, and at that point the pressure was starting to grow on the Gunners, but thanks to Lacazette and Ramsey this should be a simple enough job. To make matters worse for CSKA, no team has scored more goals than Arsenal (28) in this year's Europa League.
Indeed, no side has won more matches than Arsenal (8), who have taken the competition seriously and are on course to adding some silverware to their collection. Events over the past couple of days go a long way to highlighting just why you can never say never in football, though, as Roma came from three down to beat Barcelona on away goals, while Juventus so nearly toppled Real Madrid after doing likewise from three down.
CSKA were competing in the Champions League in the first half of the campaign, but after finishing second to Manchester United and Basel they dropped into the Europa League. The Red-Blues won half of their six matches and missed out on second place by three points, as they failed to build on impressive wins away at Benfica and Basel. Their fate was sealed on the final matchday in Manchester when going down 2-1 to United at Old Trafford.
The Russian side have since gone on to beat Red Star Belgrade 1-0 on aggregate in the first knockout round of the Europa, before producing a fine second-leg performance to overcome last season's semi-finalists Lyon last time out. A 3-2 triumph at Parc Olympique Lyonnais - the host venue for next month's final - helped CSKA through to a rare last-eight appearance in European competition.
DID YOU KNOW? This is the 21 occasion in which the Red-Blues have faced English competition, and they have won just three of those previous encounters; a run that includes a 4-1 loss to Manchester United here in the Champions League group stage earlier in the campaign. In fact, they have failed to win any of their last six matches against Premier League opposition on home soil and have an overall record here of won two, drawn two and lost three.
Only once before have they taken on an English side in the knockout round of a European competition, however, and that proved to be their most recent success as they edged out Aston Villa in the last 32 of the Europa League close to a decade ago. It must be said, too, that CSKA hardly have the best of European home records, having lost to Lyon here last time out to make it just two wins from their last 10.
The win against Red Star in the home leg of the last-32 showdown was their solitary victory at the CSKA Arena in their last five Europa matches. CSKA have also never previously made it past the quarter-finals of this competition since it was revamped, and they have made it to the last eight on just two occasions when taking all European competitions into account. They lost one of those, but the other saw them progress through en route to lifting the UEFA Cup in 2005.
CSKA have pretty much given up home of winning the Russian Premier League this season, as they find themselves third in the table and eight points adrift of leaders Lokomotiv Moscow with six games left to play. Defeat to Dynamo Moscow at the weekend was a real blow, particularly in-between these two matches with Arsenal. It means that the Red-Blues are seeking to avoid three successive losses in all competitions.
Viktor Goncharenko's charges are due to see their domestic season end in exactly a month's time, so unless they produce something close to a miracle tonight they will have very little to play for in these coming weeks - barring a big collapse from the sides above them in the Russian Premier League. Two goals apiece from Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette in the first leg has left the Russians with it all to do tonight.
Arsenal, competing outside of the Champions League for the first time since 2000, are now relying on this competition to save their season. Wenger admitted as much in his pre-match press conference, conceding that the top four is now out of reach in the Premier League, leaving the Europa League as their only route into next season's Champions League. Still, that has looked like being the case for the past couple of months now, with or without Wenger's admission.
The Europa League may not have been Wenger's priority in the first half of the season, when fielding sides of mixed quality, but they eased through to the knockout rounds and have since gone with far stronger starting lineups. Even accounting for a couple of underwhelming results to see things through, the group stage really was a walk in the park for the Gunners.
Arsenal have since overcome Ostersunds 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16, largely thanks to their strong work in the first leg, while also knocking AC Milan out of the competition. The Gunners won 2-0 at the San Siro at a time when the pressure had been seriously growing on them, before seeing the job through on home soil, albeit with a helping hand from the officials as Welbeck went to ground far too easily to win a penalty.
Wenger's men have now won eight - including each of the last three - and drawn one of their 11 Europa League matches. Even the two defeats in that run mattered little, and now the Gunners are just four matches away from lifting the trophy for the first time. They have never previously won in Russia, though, drawing one and losing three, with all four of those past encounters coming in Moscow.
This is the 19th season running that Arsenal have prolonged their European campaign into the spring under Wenger, although each of the previous 18 occasions were in the Champions League. The Gunners have lost four of their last six quarter-final ties - again, each of those coming in the Champions League - so this would be a milestone victory of sorts. On the six previous occasions that they have made it to the semis of a European competition, they won the first leg - a good omen!
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Last week's meeting was the third time that these two teams have faced off in a competition match, having also met in the group stage of the Champions League in 2006-07. CSKA Moscow won 1-0 here thanks to a Daniel Carvalho free kick, and they became the first side to stop Arsenal from scoring at the Emirates Stadium in the reverse fixture, which finished goalless.
With kickoff in the Russian capital now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Viktor Goncharenko: "Arsenal have a philosophy and have stuck to it for a long time, for many years, regardless of their record. If they are losing or winning they still play to make supporters and fans happy. When you act like this, trying to cheer up the supporters, you can have some problems in the defence."
Arsene Wenger: "The best way to build on the advantage is to try to win the game, so we will play with our best possible team and have a positive attitude. We know it's an important target for us to go as far as possible. Tuesday night's game [between Roma and Barcelona] was maybe a good warning for us. It's very important we have a positive start."
Arsenal "play to make their supporters happy", according to Goncharenko, and that does tend to be the case at this point of the season. The Gunners head into this match on the back of a six-match winning run that has seen them score 15 goals and concede just four. It is once again a case of too little, too late in the Premier League, though, as fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur are 13 points better off.
Wenger is no longer trying to hide the significance of this competition for his side, meanwhile, knowing that only by winning the Europa League can this season be considered anything close to a success. That is reflected in the strong starting lineup selected tonight, missing only a few big names - each of whom are either ill, injured or ineligible. Kickoff in Russia now just moments away...
KICKOFF! CSKA Moscow gets us up and running in the Russian capital, backed by the vociferous supporters. This is far from a fortress, though, and everything points to what should be a comfortable evening for Arsenal.
A poor, and it must be said unnecessary, cross-field pass from visiting defender Laurent Koscielny was intercepted - illegally, in the view of the referee, with handball being cited for the reason why he blew his whistle.
Arsenal will not want to just sit back tonight; there are goals there for the taking if they get bodies forward. At the same time, a goalless draw will mean job done, so Wenger will want to find the right balance in these early stages.
The visitors controlling the tempo of the game at the moment, which can only be a good thing for Wenger. Expected CSKA to really get at their opponents, but they have seen just a quarter of the ball in these first seven minutes.
Another sloppy pass from Koscielny in what has been a pretty scrappy start to this second leg. If the Frenchman defender is looking shaky now, it will be interesting to see him if the hosts snatch the first goal of the evening.
A stoppage in play now as Mustafi's header clearance caught Wilshere clean in the face. The Englishman down holding his head at the moment, but he should be given the all-clear to continue playing once he has has been give a quick once-over.
Still awaiting our first shot of any note at the CSKA Arena. Dzagoev picked up the ball in a good position but some good defending from Mustafi prevented him from finding a way through. The visitors slowly starting to grow into the match.
Ozil and Lacazette attempt to exchange passes on the edge of the opposition box, but the latter could not quite return the favour. The Gunners looking for a goal that would crush any lingering hope that CSKA have left from the first leg.
Such a sloppy start to this match, it must be said. Ramsey with a good ball through for Welbeck on the counter, but the Englishman was unable to keep the flow going and CSKA got numbers back. Arsenal continuing to see far more of the ball.
Arsenal now starting to enjoy possession higher up the pitch, allowing them to probe away on the edge of the box. Ozil slips the ball through for Bellerin, whose attempted cross into the centre was well blocked for a corner kick.
Was expecting a little more from the Red-Blues in the opening quarter of the match, considering that they require a few goals. Still yet to muster a shot of any note, wither the Gunners looking more at ease when they are in possession.
SHOT! Twenty-three minutes in and we have just seen our first shot of any note - blocked or otherwise. Kristijan Bistrovic took it on from more than 25 yards out, dragging the ball well wide of Petr Cech's target. Poor effort.
Akinfeev plucks the ball out of the air to end Arsenal's latest attack. The Gunners yet to get going in an attacking sense, but nor have their opponents. As things stand it will be a comfortable passage through for the visiting side.
Six fouls on Arsenal players in the opening half an hour, as CSKA attempt to disrupt their opponents' flow. It is working to an extent, although it must be said that the Gunners have not really needed to work their way through the gears just yet.
BLOCK! Pretty much Arsenal's best opening so far, with Alexandre Lacazette getting a shot away inside the box. Aleksey Berezutski did well to put his body on the line and block the effort, however, at the expense of a corner.
Lacazette probably should have done better from that previous opening - a slightly better first touch would have set him up nicely. From the corner, Mustafi and Berezutski clashed heads and play has now stopped for both to receive some treatment.
Wilshere does well to earn a free kick for Arsenal in a promising position. Dzagoev has just signalled to the bench that he wants to come off - a real blow for the Red-Blues, who have already sent out a few players to warm-up.
Goncharenko is asking Dzagoev whether or not he is OK to continue. The Russian midfielder definitely signalled that he wants to come off, but a couple of minutes have since passed and he seems to be fit enough, sending in a cross to the near post.
What should have been a glorious chance for CSKA goes begging as Golovin lost his footing before he could shoot just inside the box. That came from a loose ball that allowed the hosts to attack. At the other end, Welbeck overhits his pass to Ramsey.
Nacho Monreal swoops in to meet the corner, which he can only head wide of the target. Alan Dzagoev has now made way, being replaced by Vitinho, who plays predominantly as an attacking midfielder or striker - an attacking change for the hosts.
GOAL! CSKA MOSCOW 1-0 ARSENAL (FEDOR CHALOV)
Fedor Chalov gets his first Europa League goal of the campaign - and what a time to get it! Konstantin Kuchaev sent a cross into the back-post area, where Aleksandr Golovin was waiting to meet it. Petr Cech made a good save, but Chalov reacted quickest to blast home the rebound.
Real bad news for Arsenal - Aaron Ramsey went in for a challenge, got it wrong and has stayed down. The stretcher has been brought on and his evening - perhaps even his season judging by his previous luck - is now over. Half time a couple of minutes away.
CLOSE! CSKA have really stepped things since scoring. A corner falls nicely for Kristijan Bistrovic to hit on the edge of the box, but he curled the ball wide of the target. Wenger holding off from making the change in the hope that Ramsey can return to the field.
Musa went down in the box but the referee was well positioned to rule out the penalty. The home side have looked far more dangerous since edging in front of the night - just two more needed and they will go through on away goals. Ramsey is now back on the pitch.
HALF TIME: CSKA MOSCOW 1-0 ARSENAL
Another CSKA penalty appeal, this time for a supposed handball from Ramsey, is waved away by the referee. The half-time whistle sounds, with the hosts scoring the goal that they desperately needed to make it game on in the Russian capital.
Arsenal failed to get out of first gear in a sloppy first half, failing to register a single attempt on Igor Akinfeev's goal. For the opening half an hour it mattered little, as CSKA were also struggling to create any openings as they went in search of a first win in seven attempts against an English opponent on home soil.
A dragged Kristijan Bistrovic shot aside, it took until half an hour in for the first real attempt, with Alexandre Lacazette being picked out in a good position but seeing his shot blocked by Aleksey Berezutski in front of goal. The visitors were looking a lot less comfortable when Fedor Chalov netted his first Europa League goal of the season, though, giving the Red-Blues something to build on.
Aleksandr Golovin headed Konstantin Kuchaev's cross on target for Petr Cech to push out, only for Chalov to latch on to the rebound and fire the ball home for a key goal on the night. A good chance for Bistrovic to add a second before the break came and went, curling the ball wide from the edge of the box, but it is CSKA who have momentum on their side as we head into the second half.
CSKA MOSCOW SUBS: Pomazun, Milanov, Shchennikov, Matcho, Zhamaletdinov, Khosonov
ARSENAL SUBS: Chambers, Holding, Iwobi, Kolasinac, Macey, Mertesacker, Nketiah
RESTART! Arsenal return for the second half with Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere still on the field, despite both picking up injuries in the first half. Seen a replay of that Ramsey handball from the end of the first half - the Gunners can consider themselves a little fortunate.
Unlike at the start of the first half, CSKA are the side knocking the ball around at the moment. Momentum is definitely with the Russian hosts, and if they score another it really will make things interesting here.
Akinfeev very alert to cut out a through-ball intended for Ramsey. The Gunners will clearly have plenty of opportunities to hit their opponents on the counter in the remaining 40 minutes, as CSKA throw bodies forward in search of a second goal.
GOAL! CSKA MOSCOW 2-0 ARSENAL (KIRILL NABABKIN)
Oh dear, Arsenal! For the second time tonight Petr Cech parries the initial effort - a long-range drive from Golovin - and Kirill Nababkin marks his return to the side with a pretty straightforward finish from five yards. Game on, indeed!
SAVE! A lively Golovin wins a free kick in a good shooting position, and that paid dividends in the first leg. It very nearly did again, but Cech this time pushed the ball wide of the post and not into the path of an opposition player.
So from 4-1 up Arsenal are now left hanging on at the CSKA Arena. It is currently 4-3 on aggregate, and it is worth pointing out at this point that another goal for the Red-Blues will take them through by virtue of their one away goal.
Close to an hour played in the Russian capital - surely Wenger is tempted to make a change? CSKA's enforced change in the first half has worked wonders, as Vitinho's arrival has helped shift the home side's mentality somewhat.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Mohamed Elneny helps the ball over the line from close range, but he was rightly flagged for offside. The Gunners desperately attempting to take back some control of this match, which they are failing to do.
The hosts are seeing far more of the ball, which is in stark contrast to the opening 30 minutes or so of the match. Two-nil up on the night, CSKA are closing in on a third and would have got one had Cech not been alert to collect Nababkin's cross.
A little over 25 minutes of the match left to play and Wenger is still holding off from making that first change for now. The best moment since CSKA's second goal came from that Golovin free kick 10 minutes ago, which Cech pushed to safety.
Incredibly, Arsenal have still yet to muster a shot on target all evening. They have yet to get a shot away of any note in the second half, in fact, and that quite simply has to change or else they are in for a very tense finale in Moscow.
ARSENAL SUB! Arsenal have done well over the past couple of minutes, aided by an unintentional touch from the referee to halt a CSKA counter. Wenger has made his first change, bringing on Calum Chambers for Jack Wilshere.
CLOSE! The introduction of Chambers means a switch to three at the back for Arsenal. The Gunners' best moment of the second half arrived seconds after the change - Koscielny blasting over at the back post from a corner.
SAVE! Cech was at fault for the second goal - some would argue the first one, too - but he has also produced a couple of decent stops. The latest is to deny Sergey Ignashevich, who blasted the ball on target from 25 yards - good attempt, even better save.
Edging towards the final 15 minutes in Russia, where CSKA require one more goal to progress through on away goals. It really would be a disaster for the Gunners if they fail to see this one through, having led 4-1 from the first leg.
GOAL! CSKA MOSCOW 2-1 ARSENAL (DANNY WELBECK)
An impressive Danny Welbeck goal edges Arsenal closer to the Europa League semi-finals. The forward exchanged passes with Elneny and did well to tuck the ball past Akinfeev from the one-on-one position. CSKA now require two goals for extra time.
CSKA MOSCOW SUB! Goalscorer Fedor Chalov has been replaced by Georgi Milanov for the final stages of the match, with CSKA Moscow needing to start from scratch. Alexandre Lacazette has been replaced by Alex Iwobi for the hosts.
Now less than 10 minutes remaining and CSKA still need to find a couple of goals to force extra time. Arsenal were certainly given a scare tonight, but that Welbeck strike has settled their nerves and they are now on the brink of the semis.
Both managers still have a change available to make should they wish. Wenger changed things to three at the back soon before his side bagged their opening goal of the night, so credit must be given to the Frenchman.
Good defending from Elneny to get back into position and then win his side a free kick. Golovin enters the referee's book as a result of the challenge - the first player to be cautioned in a match that has not really had an edge to it.
A decent effort from the Red-Blues tonight, it must be said, as they netted their second goal of the night with plenty of time still to play. Unfortunately for them, Cech produced a couple of decent stops and then Welbeck was there to surely kill things off.
CHANCE! Ozil plays through Iwobi and the Nigerian attacker had just Akinfeev to beat. In the end the substitute appeared to just pass the ball wide of the target, never looking confident in his own ability to score.
SAVE! Three minutes added on at the CSKA Arena, so time is very much up for the hosts. Welbeck with a good chance to double his tally for the evening, but Akinfeev pulled off a smart save to keep his side's lead on the night intact.
GOAL! CSKA MOSCOW 2-2 ARSENAL (AARON RAMSEY)
Aaron Ramsey runs clean through on goal and keeps his composure to loft the ball over Igor Akinfeev. CSKA committing too many bodies forward - understandably so - and were caught out at the back. That makes certain of things!
FULL TIME: CSKA MOSCOW 2-2 ARSENAL (3-6 ON AGGREGATE)
Arsenal are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 6-3 aggregate win over CSKA Moscow. It was an entertaining second leg in the end, with the Russians moving to within one goal of their opponents early in the second half, only for Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey to make certain of the Gunners' route through to the final four.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Moscow. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this Europa League tie will be available elsewhere on the site shortly. Thanks for joining!
