Arsenal eventually edged passed Porto after beating the 30-time Portuguese champions on penalties to book their place in the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals.
It may not have been the Gunners' most inspiring performance of recent weeks, but you can take nothing away from their achievement, as they have not reached this stage of the competition since the 2009/10 season.
Dispute being frustrated for large periods of the first half by a defensively resilient Porto side, Arsenal were eventually rewarded for their efforts in the 41st minute as Leandro Trossard dispatched an excellent finish to drive his side level on aggregate.
The second half offered much of the same, though Porto provided more offensive threat, but their efforts proved futile as the game finished 1-0 (1-1 on aggregate), taking the tie to extra time.
Bukayo Saka had the best chance of extra time but was unable to get his shot off in time, as the game concluded and confined both sets of players and fans to the suspense of a penalty shootout, where Arsenal emerged victorious.
Speaking to the press after the game, Mikel Arteta could do little to hide his excitement and pleasure at the result, and made special mention to the performance of David Raya, who made crucial saves in the game as well as saving two penalties in the shootout.
Arteta was asked whether he always thought Raya was cut out for big moments, and confirmed: "Yeah, we did. We started to create an unbelievable energy as well in the stadium and now we're all pushing to get it done. And together we've done it."
On how he felt during the penalty shootout, he replied: "You are very nervous. You are hoping for the best, but you know that it's a bit of a lottery. We had our preparation yesterday and the day before just in case. And it really helps so credit to the goalkeeper coaches as well and, and everybody that contributed."
Arteta also took time to praise Porto, who put up an excellent fight against his side: "It is really difficult to play against them. They are a really, really competitive team. You don't get many moments in the game when you can control the game. 'cause if you stop and start, direct play battle after battle and yeah, they're really good sign."
The Spaniard was also full of praise for the atmosphere at the Emirates, saying: "Thank you so much [to the fans], honestly, we absolutely love them [the fans]. The energy that they brought, how positive they are, the whole game with the team and the way they contributed, they made us win as simple as that."