They came, they saw but they failed to kill it. Werder Bremen's unadventurous approach got what it deserved last night when Arsenal's patience and perseverance earned them a two-goal cushion to take to Germany next Thursday.
After Thierry Henry had made a first-half breakthrough, Arsenal got the late goal they desperately sought as Freddy Ljungberg capitalised on a miskick by the substitute Kanu. They should be wary, though. Earlier in this competition Bremen lost 3-0 at Lyon but won the home leg 4-0.
Arsene Wenger was doubtless aware that, despite their impressive win over Parma in the previous round, the German side arrived on the back of four straight away defeats and he could welcome back his inspirational captain Tony Adams.
On the flip side, injuries robbed Arsenal of Martin Keown and Emmanuel Petit. But even without his French accomplice, Patrick Vieira began in fine fashion, spreading passes and surging through to create his team's first opportunity in the eighth minute.
His excellent run and pass sent through Thierry Henry, who burst past his marker and stayed on his feet in the penalty area when others might have tumbled only to drag his shot off target.
Henry, though, did not have long to wait before opening the scoring with a well-taken goal. Vieira was the architect with a measured ball over the top of a static Bremen defence and, as the German side looked in vain for offside, Henry went through to beat Frank Rost with a low shot for his 15th of the season. It was not the last time his pace would cause problems.
With Marco Bode offering only sporadic support to the Brazilian Ailton up front and the experienced Dieter Eilts prowling in front of the back four, the German cup holders had clearly come to keep the score down.
Adams, whose domineering return settled an Arsenal defence which was rarely troubled, could hardly be blamed failing to score from his opportunity. When Dennis Bergkamp's corner fell to him at the far post his shot was brilliantly kept out by Rost.
Although Arsenal's performance lacked much of the sparkle of their recent UEFA Cup performances here, they were not entirely to blame Bremen, fifth in the Bundesliga, were as adventurous as Ken Bates believes Leicester are.
It was hard to believe they are Germany's second-leading scorers, though doubtless they are saving that for the return. Henry's speed always looked Arsenal's best outlet but his chances to get behind the defence were limited as Wenger's increasingly frustrated players struggled to breach the Bremen wall.
Not surprisingly, Wenger threw on Kanu and Marc Overmars, calculating that Arsenal would need luck or a spark of brilliance to be able to approach next week's trip with genuine breathing space.
When Kanu created a chance for Henry, Rost saved with his legs. But Arsenal got the luck they deserved when Kanu's mishit shot enabled Ljungberg to score a potentially decisive second.
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Adams, Luzhny, Silvinho, Parlour (Overmars 67), Vieira, Grimandi, Ljungberg, Bergkamp (Kanu 67), Henry (Suker 77). Subs Not Used: Winterburn, Keown, Manninger, Malz. Goals: Henry 21, Ljungberg 77.
Werder Bremen: Rost, Tjikuzu, Baumann, Ailton (Schierenbeck 83), Wiedener, Eilts, Frings, Dabrowski, Herzog, Barten, Bode. Subs Not Used: Flock, Maximow, Trares, Bogdanovic, Brasas, Skripnik. Booked: Herzog.
Referee: C Colombo (France).
