Gunners win but stay second

Wenger – subject to a touchline ban – had called for a response following a first domestic defeat for his Barclays Premier League leaders at struggling Middlesbrough on Sunday.

And his much-changed team delivered with a blistering start which saw them kill Steaua Bucharest before the break at the Emirates Stadium.

True, there are sterner challenges ahead for Wenger’s men – most notably in the shape of title rivals Chelsea this weekend.

But even without the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini, the young Gunners again showed there is still plenty of class in the reserve ranks.

There was also the bonus of fit-again Robin van Persie’s return, the Dutchman coming through his first 64 minutes of club action since suffering a knee injury on international duty in October.

Sevilla’s victory over Slavia Prague means the Gunners, who had already qualified, do not go through to the draw for the knockout phase as top seeds.

However, Wenger knows, when fully charged, his side are capable of much more - and so will any potential opponents awaiting in the first pot.

Arsenal started brightly and Theo Walcott was presented with a glorious early opportunity following a superb pass from Van Persie but steered his low shot wide from just inside the box.

The England Under-21 star was soon in the thick of the action again when he skipped through the Steaua defence but was put off just at the moment of delivery and skied a shot over the bar.

The goal, though, came soon enough.

They may change personnel, but Arsenal always move the ball about with sublime ease, and this time fed Bacary Sagna on the right.

His low centre picked out Abou Diaby in the six-yard box, and the Frenchman - just fit again from a back problem – simply took a touch to power past two Steaua defenders and blast the ball back across goal into the top left corner.

With whipping boys Bucharest already out – much to the disgust of owner Gigi Becali, currently on his third coach of the season in Romania legend Marius Lacatus – there was little offered in the way of attacking threat from the visitors.

Jens Lehmann, back for the first time since August 19, was a virtual spectator in the Arsenal goal.

So the tempo of the match dropped as the half-hour mark approached.

With 10 minutes left to the interval, Van Persie – who had seven goals before his injury – made space for a shooting chance from the penalty spot but his effort curled just wide of the left-hand post.

Arsenal eventually went 2-0 up following another slick passing move on 42 minutes.

Denilson fed Van Persie just outside the penalty area and he laid the ball out to Nicklas Bendtner on the overlap down the right.

The big Dane showed extremely good close control to ride a sliding challenge before coolly slotting his low shot past Steaua keeper Robinson Zapata into the far corner.

Arsenal continued to look the more likely to extend their lead during the second half, Bendtner and Van Persie both just unable to get on the end of a long ball which had Zapata racing out of goal.

However, Steaua at least made a game of it with 21 minutes left when substitute Dorel Zaharia netted with a looping header from a deep left-wing cross.

Although Ovidiu Petre went close with a long-range effort, to concede a second goal would have been rough justice on Arsenal.

Indeed, had both Walcott and Eduardo, on for Van Persie, shown greater composure in front on goal during injury time, the scoreline could have reflected more Arsenal’s superiority