Arsenal were lucky – they must now learn from Porto’s exhibition in gamesmanship

Arsenal 1-0 Porto (1-1 agg, 4-2 pens): There was an innocence to Arsenal as this young team reached its first Champions League quarter-final in 14 years, and it almost cost Mikel Arteta’s side following a masterclass from Pepe

Bring your energy, bring your noise - and bring your best for the penalty shoot-out too please, David Raya. It was heroics from Arsenal’s goalkeeper, rather than the instinctiveness and electricity of their attacking play, that saved Mikel Arteta’s side here. Porto set out to frustrate and they succeeded: a grand, final act from Pepe dragged Porto into extra time and to a shoot-out. But Arsenal survived. On the balance of play, it was the team that probably has a chance of winning the Champions League that scraped through, but Arsenal will have to be a lot better, and more importantly smarter, if they are to be contenders.

Pepe at the centre of attention again as Porto frustrated Arsenal (Getty Images)

Arsenal will worry about that later. For now, there is a first quarter-final in 14 years to celebrate. But it should not distract from that point. “We are learning every day,” Arteta beamed afterwards. This is still his first Champions League campaign, after all, as it is for many of his squad. Arsenal had been warned in the first leg but fell into the same trap. “We have got to have a bit of savviness,” Declan Rice admitted, after Arsenal were beaten 1-0 in Porto. “You have to be ready for these kind of games,” Arteta declared ahead of the return. Yet Arsenal were neither savvy or ready. They won the shoot-out, but for all the promises and the words, Porto won the battle of the dark arts again.

Arsenal would do well to learn their lesson a second time. For all that Arteta’s side have swatted teams aside to take a lead in the title race, Porto’s commitment to the basic principles of s***housery went above and beyond the levels that are usually permitted in the Premier League. It was allowed to unfold due to a rather forgiving performance from the referee Clement Turpin, who showed as many yellow cards to the two managers and their coaching staff than he did to the players on the pitch (3-3, a.e.t).

Tensions were high on the touchline (Getty Images)

Though the Emirates also witnessed a masterclass, collectively irritated by Pepe - who, at the age of 41, is just so good at being Pepe by this point. Arsenal had started well enough, the Emirates was alive with Arteta’s rallying cry ringing around the stands, thundering onto the pitch. Arsenal scored a wonderful equaliser that came after a clever and subtle switch in their build-up play, as Ben White drifted infield for the first time and Martin Odegaard pushed further forward. Odegaard spent most of the night directing Arsenal, a level above, and set up Leandro Trossard’s equaliser. But Arsenal were unable to gather momentum.

Porto did not allow it. “And credit to them,” Arteta reflected. “They were very difficult, very organised.” Just as they did in the first leg, Porto ran down the clock and wasted far more minutes than were added on at the end of either half; a standard one minute at 45’ and a paltry three at 90’. Both were incorrect, though Porto’s methods of finding stoppages were creative at least. An overhead kick from Evanilson halted an Arsenal attack after he landed on his back and stayed down. Wendell, who did an excellent job of tracking Bukayo Saka, crumpled after he was struck in the face. It was by the ball.

Pepe almost guided Porto into an unlikely quarter-final (Getty Images)

At the centre of it, of course, was Pepe, peerless in his craft: reassuringly timeless and obdurate, still always at the centre of attention, even though it is now seven years since he was playing an almost cartoonishly villainous role for Real Madrid and Portugal. He still manages to pull off that act, even as the grizzled veteran. In between the constant martialing of the Porto back four, and the often heroic acts of defending at his back post, there was the other side, subtle or otherwise: the knee into the back of Kai Havertz, managing to get away with slightest nudge on Odegaard as he turned in the box, the convenient grapple with Havertz before Odegaard finished into the empty net, denying Arsenal a second goal midway through the second half.

Sergio Conceicao hopped and jumped along the touchline - the Porto manager would be booked along with Arteta, and further words would be exchanged after the final whistle - but he had drilled his team to be organised and compact. They spent close to 10 minutes defending various set-piece positions during the warm-ups, and then spent the game nullifying what has become a clear strength of Arteta’s side during their winning run. For all of their movement in the box, the crowding of the far post, the line of Arsenal attackers dropping into an offside position, Porto didn’t bite. Arsenal were barely allowed to make a first contact, from Saka, Rice or Odegaard’s inswinging deliveries.

Porto were clever: Arsenal have become the team who can win a match in 20 minutes through their goals. Porto faced them for more than 220 and only conceded once. But Arsenal advanced, and in the quarter-finals they are likely to face a different calibre of opponent - unlikely to meet such a deep and determined low block again now it’s down to the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But Arsenal are learning. “We haven’t done this before,” Arteta smiled. There was an innocence there, at least, even if it almost cost them.