Three takeaways as Arsenal make Porto pay the penalty

How will this affect Arsenal's title bid and Arsenal still have much to learn when it comes to Europe.

GUNNING FOR GLORY: Arsenal players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out. Photo credit: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire.

How will this affect Arsenal's title bid?

In normal circumstances, seeing your preferred first-choice line-up forced to play extra time in a high-stakes, high-standard cup tie would leave a Premier League title-chasing manager cursing.

But, thanks to Chelsea reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals, Arsenal have a free weekend and can therefore rest and recuperate at their leisure for the match that will have a huge bearing on whether the title really is coming to North London - the trip to Manchester City on Sunday March 31.

Heck, that's 19 days - they could even jet themselves off to Dubai for a repeat of the winter sunshine break that turned them from a side unable to find the net before Christmas to domestic record-breakers in front of goal.

It's the league that is the priority for most Gunners fans anyway - no league titles since 2004 still hurts more than no Champions League ever.

Martin Odegaard was born to shine in the Champions League

The Norwegian with the armband showed his importance to Arsenal in many ways but none more than the pass to Leandro Trossard for the goal that brought the tie level at 1-1.

A Porto defence marshalled by the 41-year-old Pepe was picked open with precision in a way that Odegaard made look far more simple than it really was.

It was perfectly placed to wrong-foot full-back João Mário, who could only flick out a leg in the fruitless hope of intercepting it.

The former Real Madrid man, who had Champions League on his CV when he was 15, was the night's class performer on the ball and was unfortunate that Kai Havertz's tug on Pepe's shirt ruled out his second-half strike.

Trossard was only playing because Gabriel Martinelli was injured but the Belgian, with 11 goals to his name now in his first full season as a Gunner, is also proving his worth.

Arsenal still have much to learn when it comes to Europe

The Gunners took advantage of a less-than-daunting group to make steady progress towards the knockout stages but the 1-0 first-leg defeat in Portugal was an unexpected eyebrow-raiser.

Not a shot on target was recorded despite the clash coming in the middle of a domestic goal avalanche - 33 in eight outings - leaving Arsenal with it all to prove last night.

Yet Porto continued to match them in possession and chance creation, with Brazil defender Wendell doing a noticeably impressive job on keeping Bukayo Saka quiet on the right.

Arsenal deserve credit for keeping their shape and continuing to apply the pressure but Porto's extra nous in Europe limited the Gunners to a modicum of chances.

Odagaard's goal after the break was correctly ruled out and the Norwegian came close to netting a late winner, as did substitute Gabriel Jesus with his first touch but Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa had only four saves to make by the end of normal time.