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Arsenal hosted Napoli in Thursday night's highly anticipated Europa League quarter-final, a tie that could define Unai Emery's maiden season in England's capital.
The Gunners produced a magnificent performance, particularly in the first half, coming out of the first leg with an emphatic 2-0 victory.
The home side came out the blocks firing on all cylinders in the early exchanges with Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette both pressing from the front with intent.
Their early dominance was rewarded in the 14th minute as Aaron Ramsey finished exquisitely after a beautiful Arsenal move down the right flank.
Lucas Torreira then doubled their lead just 10 minutes later. The dexterous Uruguayan won the ball on the halfway line, turned magnificently on the edge of the box before firing a shot off Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly which found its way into the back of the net.
The North London side should have added to their early double as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw three shots saved from Napoli shot-stopper Alex Meret. Alexandre Lacazette then was played in by Aubameyang but his lackluster swing at the ball resulted in a Napoli throw in.
Napoli could and probably should have pulled a goal back against the run of play after Lorenzo Insigne fired high and wide just before the interval.
The second half was a much quieter 45 minutes as Arsenal looked to hold onto their two-goal lead. However, it was Ramsey again who had a gilt-edged opportunity in the dying embers of the game.
The Welshman couldn't hit the target after a neat cutback from substitute Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Napoli lacked any real intensity but managed to muster a golden chance through Piotr Zielinski but the Polish midfielder blazed over from 10 yards.
The result leaves Arsenal in good stead going into next week's clash in Naples but will the Gunners rue their missed chances given their horrid form away from the Emirates?
Ahead of next week's clash here are five of Arsenal's best performances against Italian teams in Europe.
Juventus (2005/06)
Arsenal drew Juventus in the quarter-finals of their memorable 2005/06 Champions League campaign. It was a mouthwatering spectacle with Juventus considered heavy favorites, sitting pretty at the top of the Serie A table while Arsenal were having an indifferent season, battling for 4th place with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal did come into the clash in good European form, having dumped out European 'galacticos' Real Madrid 1-0 in the previous round.
To add to the excitement, the Gunners faced their former captain and 'invincible' Patrick Vieira after he moved to the Italian giants in the summer of 2005 for a hefty fee of £13.75 million. However, it was Arsenal who had the last laugh, producing a scintillating showing for the Highbury crowd in the first leg.
18-year-old wonderkid Cesc Fabregas stole the show, scoring with a brilliant low-strike from the edge of the box before turning provider for Thierry Henry to make it 2-0 to the hosts.
'The Old Lady' finished the first leg with nine men after both Camoranesi and Zebina were given second yellow cards and subsequently red cards in the closing embers of the game.
The second leg ended goalless, with the main highlight of the game being Juventus' Czech maestro Pavel Nedved seeing red in the 77th minute for a second yellow card after a foul on Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue.
In the end, the North London club showed their defensive solidity, keeping their 8th clean sheet in the same Champions League campaign, surpassing AC Milan's previous record.
The result was a historic one for Arsenal who found themselves in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
AC Milan (2007/08)
Arsenal were drawn against an Italian outfit again in 2007/08's round of 16 in the form of AC Milan. Milan were reigning champions, having defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the 2007 final.
The Gunner's youthful side had its skeptics after losing star player Thierry Henry to Barcelona in the previous summer but they appeared determined to showcase their talents on the European stage, especially against such an experienced side.
The Emirates was the hosting ground for the first leg, a match that ended 0-0. It was a tactical battle more than a thrilling one in England's capital.
Arsene Wenger's team dominated early proceedings with Togolese centre forward Emmanuel Adebayor causing trouble for the visitors' defence but to no avail thanks to a number of classy stops from seasoned veteran Kalac in the Milan goal as well as the linesman who correctly flagged the striker offside after he slotted home.
Adebayor was granted with a golden opportunity late on after the rapid Theo Walcott delivered a beautifully weighted cross that the Togo international could only nod onto the crossbar.
The woodwork shook and the whistle blew as Arsenal blew their chance to take an advantage to Milan.
The young Arsenal side went into the second leg at the San Siro with no fear, going for the jugular from minute one. Cesc Fabregas ran the game, coming agonizingly close after he hit the crossbar just before half-time.
However, it was the aforementioned Fabregas who broke the deadlock, wrong-footing Kalac with a 30-yard thunderbolt in the 84th minute. Theo Walcott then found Adebayor with a pass in the last few minutes of the game, who made no mistake this time, turning the ball into the net at the back post.
The result meant that Arsenal had beaten both Milan sides at the San Siro within the space of five years, having emphatically thumped Inter Milan 5-1 in the 2003/04 campaign.
Roma 2008/09
Arsenal came up against an Italian side in the Champions League again in the 2008/09 campaign. Like the previous tie against AC Milan, it was in the Round of 16.
Arsenal were heavy favorites for this tie, however, were missing their midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas through injury.
They didn't appear to miss their key man in the first-leg, dominating their Italian counterparts throughout the 90 minutes in North London.
The home signed took the lead through a calmly finished Robin Van Persie penalty after Phillipe Mexes had brought down the Dutch centre forward unfairly.
There was a peculiar incident at the beginning of the second-half as Arsenal started the second period with just nine men on the pitch. Captain William Gallas was receiving treatment in the dressing room as the second half got underway and the superstitious Kolo Toure waited on his defensive partner as he always is the last to leave the dressing room.
The extraordinary mishap didn't stop Arsene Wenger's men from coming out victorious, however, they could have taken more than a slender one-goal lead to Italy's capital after Danish striker Bendtner missed a handful of chances to double Arsenal's advantage.
The second leg was the polar opposite from the previous match as Roma dominated from start to finish. The Italian outfit took the lead in the opening 10 minutes as Juan slotted past Manuel Almunia after some shambolic defending from the away side.
The game finished 1-0 (1-1 on aggregate) which meant extra time and after that was goal-less penalties.
Both sides matched each other after seven penalties, scoring six each. However, it was Tonetto for Roma who fired his spot-kick over the crossbar to send Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Udinese (2011/12)
Arsenal drew Udinese in the Champions League qualification process after finishing 4th the season prior. Francesco Guidolin's team posed a real threat, especially through potent striker Antonio Di Natale.
The first leg was hosted by the London side and it was their first match since the departure of captain and star midfielder Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona. However, the home side got off to a brilliant start, breaking the deadlock in the 4th minute through Theo Walcott.
Walcott's effort was the only goal of the game in a match that was a rather quiet one at both ends. Arsene Wenger's men struggled to get into any real rhythm and without danger man, Robin van Persie, who was serving a suspension and lacked a proper outlet in attack.
Di Natale did cause problems for Arsenal's defence on occasion and even hit the woodwork after his spectacularly struck free-kick crashed off the crossbar in the first half. However, the Italian outfit couldn't grab a crucial away goal with the match ending 1-0 to the hosts.
The second leg was a much more thrilling affair as both sides played expansive attacking football in the hopes of securing the coveted spot in Europe's elite competition.
It was Udinese who scored the first of the game with Di Natale poking a header past Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny from a Giampiero Pinzi cross just before the half-time whistle blew.
The goal seemed to knock some life into the away side who struck back with a smart finish from new captain Robin van Persie.
The Gunners' were then dealt a huge blow as Udinese were awarded a penalty after Thomas Vermaelen was judged to handle the ball in the penalty area. Nonetheless, 'keeper Szczesny kept out Di Natale's penalty with a magnificent save to keep Arsenal level in the match.
The save seemed to spur Arsenal with Theo Walcott putting the contest to bed in the 69th minute, smartly slotting the ball past Samir Handanovic in the Udinese goal. Arsenal ended the tie as victors, the 3-1 aggregate scoreline taking them through to the Champions League group stages.
AC Milan (2017/18)
Arsenal played their all-too-familiar foes AC Milan in last season's Europa League round of 16. Six years on from their thrilling clash in the 2011/12 season it was telling of both club's fall from grace that this clash occurred in Europe's second-tier competition and not the Champions League.
Milan went into the tie in great form under new manager Gennaro Gattuso, while Arsenal were on the opposite end of the spectrum, enduring their worst season in Arsene Wenger's 22-year tenure.
The Rossoneri hosted the first leg in a tie that was highly anticipated by both sets of fans and neutrals alike.
It was the away side who got off to the better start with new recruit Henrikh Mkhitaryan opening the scoring with a deflected strike after a quarter of an hour was played at the San Siro.
Arsene Wenger's men doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time as Aaron Ramsey rounded the onrushing Gianluigi Donnarumma and slotted into an empty net. It was Mesut Özil who assisted both of the games' goals and who stole the show.
Milan started the second leg in emphatic fashion, taking the lead at the Emirates through a brilliant dipping strike from Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. However, their belief was short-lived as England international Danny Welbeck restored Arsenal's two-goal cushion four minutes later.
Welbeck was brought down in the box by Ricardo Rodriguez and subsequently stepped up and scored the penalty.
Granit Xhaka and Welbeck added to the Italian side's misery late on, giving Arsenal an emphatic 5-1 victory on aggregate.
