Arsenal cruise past Celtic

For the third season running Arsenal FC completed a smooth passage through the UEFA Champions League qualifying phase, beating Celtic FC 3-1 on a damp London evening to earn a comfortable 5-1 aggregate victory and, with it, a 12th consecutive season among Europe's élite.

Arsène Wenger's side already had one foot in the group stage after last week's win in Glasgow and they made sure of their progress with goals from Eduardo, Emmanuel Eboué and Andrei Arshavin. Celtic, who pulled one back late on through Massimo Donati, must switch their focus to the UEFA Europa League, while Arsenal, without the injured Cesc Fàbregas and Robin van Persie here, can look forward to another assault on a competition whose last four they reached last term.