On Wednesday night in Rome, Arsenal turned in a performance that may have lacked fluency, cohesion and a cutting edge, but when nerves of steel were required in the penalty shoot-out, Arsene Wenger's young team kept their heads and admirably navigated their way into the quarter finals of the Champions League.

The relief and joy that was unleashed when Max Tonetto skied his penalty over the bar was palpable. For a team that is often criticised for not being able to "win ugly", the victory achieved in this tie could not have come any uglier. It was a display to forget but an outcome to enjoy.

After some bright early exchanges, matters took a turn for the worse for the Gunners when after ten minutes Gallas and Toure let a tame looking Roma cross beat the near post - both waiting for the other to clear the ball. Unmarked at the far post, Roma’s central defender Juan accepted the gift and exacted the maximum punishment by giving the home team the lead. It was awful defending from two of Arsenal’s senior players and completely at odds with their recent solid form.

It suddenly looked like it was going to be a torrid night for the English team and, certainly, they looked very shaky at the back for the remainder of the half. Just before the break, Gael Clichy came close to conceding a penalty. Thankfully, the referee deemed any contact that was made as minimal and the theatrical way that Marco Motta threw himself to the floor probably added weight to Arsenal’s case. Action replays suggested the match official got the decision just about right but looking at the incident in real time it would have been understandable if it had gone Roma’s way. Had the Italians taken a two-goal lead in at the break, it would have been hard to see the Gunners finding a way back into the match.

Arsene Wenger’s team showed a good deal more composure in the second half but their passing remained substandard and goalscoring opportunities were few. The introduction of Eduardo and Walcott did nothing to lift the performance and extra-time seemed to be beckoning a long time before the ninety minutes were up. Kolo Toure squandered a chance to snatch a late victory in normal time and so the tie move into an additional thirty minutes.

Though Roma seemed to be tiring with every passing second, Arsenal could not find the quality or the impetus to break them down. An uneventful period of extra-time paved the way for a penalty shoot-out to settle the tie. Again, Arsenal got off to a bad start when Eduardo missed their first attempt. Thankfully, Mario Vucinic reciprocated with an appalling effort a few kicks later. Both teams got through the first five standard penalties and still there was nothing to choose between them. Into sudden death, it really was a case of who would crack first. With both goalies not getting near to too much during the shootout, it seemed destined that an outright miss would settle the tie. The unfortunate taker was Tonetto of Roma. He dispatched his effort high over the bar and handed the tie to Arsenal.

This was not a night in Italy that will be remembered in the same fond terms as last season’s stupendous performance at AC Milan or the Thierry Henry-inspired demolition of Inter a few years ago but, in a season where the Gunners have huffed and puffed their way through every step, to reach the last eight of the Champions League is a fantastic achievement. By the time the quarter finals are played, it is possible that more injured players will have returned to boost the chances of further progression. Certainly, last night was one of those games where it was screamingly obvious just how much this team misses Cesc Fabregas. His return cannot come soon enough.

After the relief of Rome, it is back to domestic business in the Premier League on Saturday as the Gunners attempt to secure their qualification for next season’s Champions League. Blackburn Rovers visit Ashburton Grove and Sam Allardyce’s team will be buoyant after a vital away victory at Fulham last night. Playing teams struggling against relegation can be potentially hazardous. They are all fighting for their lives and Arsenal would be foolish to underestimate their opponents.

The exertions of extra-time and penalties in Rome, not to mention the travelling are bound to cause some residual fatigue but, however it may be achieved, the Gunners need to find the energy to fashion a win to heap more pressure onto Aston Villa and force their way back into the top four.