Andrey Arshavin completed a second-half Arsenal comeback to stun Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday despite the home side being outplayed for most of the first leg of their last-16 meeting.
David Villa had put Barcelona ahead in the 26th minute by slipping the ball under Wojciech Szczesny after latching on to Lionel Messi's flick-on.
Despite the Spanish champions being in control, the game turned in a five-minute spell shortly after Villa had been taken off.
Victor Valdes gifted Arsenal a way back into the match by allowing Robin van Persie to level with a shot that crept inside the near post from a tight angle in the 78th, with the motionless goalkeeper seemingly expecting a cross.
Five minutes later, Samir Nasri broke forward after being released by Cesc Fabregas and the France international squared to Arshavin to slot in the winner.
''If you drop back too much they are so good they will beat you,'' Van Persie said. ''We had to beat them in their own style. It was a fantastic result in the end.''
However slender the advantage, Arsenal will now be hoping to avenge last season's quarterfinal loss at the Camp Nou on March 8. Last year, Messi's four goals secured a 4-1 victory in the second leg after Barcelona was held to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
''We know how to beat them now,'' Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. ''We were strong not only on the football side but the mental side. ... This can strengthen the belief in our (attacking) philosophy.''
The extent of Barcelona's dominance was evident in the fact that the Spanish champions completed 629 passes compared to 299 from Arsenal.
''We started playing well, we had a lot of chances but we didn't have many clear ones,'' Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. ''We have controlled the match, but we know they played well persistently and they are very fast when they counterattack.''
Barcelona arrived at the Emirates Stadium where no side from the continent has ever won having seen its domestic vulnerabilities exposed on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon that ended a 16-game league winning streak.
''They don't lose many games. They are the best side in football's history in my opinion,'' said the 23-year-old Fabregas, the Arsenal captain who is constantly linked with a move back to club he left at 16.
Arsenal was initially looking to Theo Walcott's blistering pace to unpick Barcelona and he demonstrated that threat when he darted past Maxwell, but he failed to spot Nasri in an open position early on.
Walcott also started a move that saw Fabregas loft the ball for Van Persie, who tested Valdes from a tight angle. But it was only after Walcott came off that Arsenal finally equalized.
Before Nasri created the winner, it had been a quiet night for Arsenal's top scorer. On his first appearance since Jan. 30 after recovering from a hamstring injury, the France international was largely shackled by Daniel Alves' darting runs, and he was upstaged by Jack Wilshere's precise passing.
Arsenal was fortunate not to be trailing by more at halftime. Messi should have punished the home side when he was released by Villa's defense-splitting pass, but he casually too chipped over Szczesny and wide.
Messi's finishing may have been wayward but Barcelona was beginning to exert its authority in midfield, ripping through the spine of the home team.
''Against Barcelona you are exposed many times when they have possession but we kept resilient and strong,'' Wenger said. ''You have to be tight with the marking and if you don't it is difficult.''
After Villa's 19th goal of the season he came close to netting again following another blistering break.
Messi headed into the net from a rebound but it was ruled out for offside. The Argentina playmaker, who has scored 40 times this season, also lashed the ball into the side netting early in the second half.
Guardiola replaced Villa with more than 20 minutes remaining, signaling he was content with protecting the score. Instead, Arsenal began its comeback shortly after Arshavin replaced Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner came on for Walcott.
''It's a pity,'' Guardiola said. ''We knew they're a very, very good team. On the counterattack they're dangerous.''
Barcelona could be forced to field a makeshift central defense next month, with Gerard Pique picking up a yellow card that earns him a suspension and captain Carles Puyol uncertain because of a knee injury.
