It bodes extremely well for Arsenal that they managed to beat FC Porto in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Teams beating Porto in the knockout stages have history, you see. Juventus did it in 2017, Liverpool did it 2018 and 2019, while Chelsea knocked them out in 2021 and Inter in 2023.

These are the last five teams to do away with Porto in the knockout stages and they all went on to reach the final! A stat which raises a big smile on Gunners legend Lee Dixon, when talking to Tribalfootball.com about the drama at the Emirates.

"Sometimes, when you go into European games, you can kind of derail your form a little bit, as we saw in the reverse game against Porto. Arsenal weren't at their best last night either, but the impetus they've build up from their league form and the confidence that they're carrying into every game now, was a big part of this win.

"I was very confident before the game that they would win it, even in the penalty shootout. I know it's a lottery, but there's a kind of inner belief now that something quite special could happen, so the players are very wary of that. And when you win like that in a penalty shootout, it breeds another type of confidence," Dixon states of the win in which he, naturally, kept a keen eye on the right- and left-back.

"Ben White's playing some of the best football that he's played for a while, and Kiwior as well. Sometimes, when he gets put on the team sheet, I think people are kind of doubtful. But the back four look like a solid base when Kiwior plays on that left side.

"He gives a more stable look to the way they perform, and he's still a good enough footballer to pop into that midfield area when he's needed," Dixon says approvingly while also acknowledging the offense.

"Attacking-wise, we're always going to create chances and excitement, because we (Arsenal) are dynamic. Arsenal seem to be able to just turn a defence into attack, so it was a good result. The performance could have been better, but they'll take that every time until the final, if that's how it ends up."

Which it is, apparently, when one knocks out FC Porto.

While reaching the last eight in the Champions League for the first time in 14 years, Arsenal have also taken over the top of the Premier League table to the great delight of the four time title-winner with the Gunners.

"There's a solid look about the whole team, not just defensively, and they are knocking teams over for fun, creating a huge amount of chances and taking them as well," says Dixon, before adding how much he enjoys how Declan Rice is evolving as a player.

"He's having an absolutely outstanding season. Every game I watch him play, he seems to get better and understand his position a little bit better. When he first got into the England side, he always seemed to miss players running off the back of him.

"He didn't seem to be able to work out what that was about.

"That puts pressure on the back four and the two centre-backs, because they can't really go into that area at times. The fact that he's now understanding where he should be, the amount of interceptions and last minute tackles on players going into that '10 area' is absolutely outstanding," Dixon applauds while also sparing a thought for the keeper.

"I think Raya has done brilliantly well to settle down after a kind of traumatic start to his Arsenal career. He's had to deal with the whole Ramsdale situation and there's also a huge amount of pressure coming from a smaller club to a big club as well."

Arsenal now have a nice 19-day break coming up, but on the other side of that awaits a massive game against Manchester City. The latter just played another big game against Liverpool and before parting ways, Tribalfootball.com put it to Dixon whether Mikel Arteta might have spotted something useful in that game?

"As brilliant as City are, they do give you chances. Their eagerness to get that extra man into midfield and dominate the ball the way they do, leave them a little bit vulnerable at the back. I think Arteta and his team would have looked at it and seen that Liverpool created quite a few chances.

"Having said that, Arteta is going up against Pep, and as we know, at any moment, Pep will put his team out and then change it just as they are about to kick off and flip everyone in different positions. He did that last year at the Etihad, when he played De Bruyne as a floating loose ten and he absolutely tortured Arsenal. Pep will have something up his sleeve, so I wouldn't watch the video of that game too much, because it won't look like that in three weeks' time," Dixon says with a big grin.

- Lee Dixon was speaking to Tribalfootball.com on behalf of BetVictor