Ray Parlour: Scored the winner against Valencia (Photograohy/Allsport)

Arsene Wenger's side will travel to Spain in two weeks with a lot to do to progress to the last four of the competition for the first time in their history, after Valencia scored a crucial away goal in North London.

But Wenger was ecstatic last night to see his team avoid a night of European disaster by triumphing over last year's beaten finalists.

Trailing to a first-half goal from Valencia's Argentina midfielder Roberto Ayala, Arsenal seemed to be going nowhere until two goals just before the hour brought Highbury to its feet and turned the occasion into one of the famous stadium's most dramatic European evenings.

France forward Thierry Henry was the first to strike as he buried his 21st goal of a prolific season in front of the North Bank after international team-mate Robert Pires had set him up with a delightful back heel inside the penalty area in the 58th minute.

Less than two minutes later, Ray Parlour delivered the coup de grace with a stunning right-foot shot into the top corner of the net from 25 yards.

Parlour does not score as many goals as he would like and last night's effort was only his sixth of the season.

But he has clearly come to enjoy the big European occasions, with last night's super strike coming little more than a year after he won a UEFA Cup quarter-final virtually on his own with a stunning hat-trick against Werder Bremen in Germany.