Arsenal 5-0 FC Porto: Daily Mirror match report

Scintillating, sensational, at times absolutely sublime, and crowned by one of those "I was there" moments.

No, not Nicklas Bendtner’s hat-trick, although the Dane may be tempted to dine out on that for a while.

But if there is any soul and romance left, Samir Nasri’s piece of individual brilliance to kill Porto’s attempted comeback stone dead will be replayed time and time again for years to come.

On a night electrified by Andriy Arshavin, it was Nasri who provided the glorious highlight.

Scots of a certain vintage still talk about Archie Gemmill and the slalom dribble past the Dutch defence that briefly threatened to keep Ally’s Army marching through Argentina.

Yet watching Nasri destroy three defenders in the space of five yards as he emerged from a congested space that seemed barely possible, before almost ripping a hole in the Porto net, surely surpassed even the little man who “put Scotland in dreamland“ in 1978.

At each touch, Nasri seemed certain to lose the ball.

Somehow, he kept control, moving on to the next victim, and finally crashing an angled drive that tore the heart out of the Portuguese champions.

Incredibly, it had also been 32 years since Arsenal overturned a first-leg deficit to triumph in Europe, a wait that was ended in truly remarkable fashion.

And at the heart of it, the little man from St Petersburg, who proved beyond all doubt that Arsenal are not only about missing skipper Cesc Fabregas.

While Bendtner redeemed his reputation to help the Gunners through to the last eight, it could not have happened without Arshavin.

From Russia, with gloves, Arshavin’s mesmerising display was a stunning reminder of his talent, of the quality contained in Wenger’s squad.

More importantly, though, as Wenger’s men thrilled the Emirates with a performance that punished all of Porto’s limitations, Arsenal sent out a genuine message of intent to Barcelona and Real Madrid as much as Chelsea and Manchester United.

There was no better way of consigning Lukasz Fabianski’s first-leg fumbles to the history books than by running rampant, making light of Fabregas’ absence to rip the Portuguese to shreds.

Yes, Porto were powder-puff up front, miserable in midfield, broken at the back.

But they were left that way because Arsenal were at their effortless, beautiful, elegant best, the living embodiment of the type of football Wenger preaches so zealously.

This was the fusion of pace and vision that Wenger has always wanted to see from his players, high on tempo, high on adrenaline, with the cutting edge too.

And five goals, which could have been more, make that point far more eloquently than anything else could.

Bendtner had come into the game in the shadow of his weekend nightmare against Burnley, but all was forgotten inside 25 minutes as he profited from Arshavin’s brilliance and the midfield control exhibited by Nasri and Alex Song.

They may have both been simple finishes into gaping goals but that did not matter.

Arshavin actually retreated from an offside position to somehow win the aerial battle for Manuel Almunia’s pump forward but he was already on the move as Nasri slid forward.

Keeper Helton was too slow off his line as the loose ball fell into Bendtner’s path 12 yards out and having converted one simple chance, the Dane was presented with another before the half-hour.

This was even better by Arshavin, dancing into the box by twisting three Porto defenders inside-out before teeing up Bendtner who truly could not miss from three yards.

There could have been more and only briefly, at the start of the second period, was the outcome even in doubt.

But three minutes after clearing substitute Cristain Rodriguez’ header off the line, Nasri brought the Emirates to its collective feet and opened the floodgates.

The fourth was reminiscent of the Arsenal of Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, the classic counter-attack from a corner, with Arshavin carrying for 50 yards before slipping the perfect pass into the path of Emmanuel Ebolue, who rounded the keeper before sliding into the net.

And when Eboue was downed by Fucile in the final minute, Bendtner stepped up to find the bottom corner from the spot and complete his first career three-timer.

Fantastic stuff. Arsenal, still rocky at the back where Sol Campbell creaked, might not look like potential European champions. But when you have that much quality, nothing is impossible.