A fabulous long-range shot from out-of-favour Kieran Tierney lifted the Gunners to the last 16.

Arsenal edged to a nervy 1-0 win against FC Zurich to secure their passage through to the Europa League knockout stages as group winners on Thursday night.

It wasn't as simple as desired, but it was job done nonetheless.

After Tierney gave the Gunners a first-half lead with an excellent strike from distance, they had to endure some tense moments after they failed to find a second goal.

With PSV winning at Bodo/Glimt, a Zurich equaliser would have seen Mikel Arteta's side slip to second in the group and left them facing a round of 32 play-off with one of the teams dropping down into the Europa League from the Champions League.

And there was certainly lots of worry in the air as the hosts struggled to build on their ascendency during a scrappy second half.

Zurich even had the ball in the net with 20 minutes remaining, but Adrian Guerrero's close range effort was correctly ruled out for offside.

Arsenal did hold on for the win, however, which saw them top the group and avoid extra fixtures later this campaign.

The Winners

Winner: Kieran Tierney

It's been a tough season so far for Tierney, who has seen himself fall down the pecking order at Arsenal.

First he saw his place at left-back taken by summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko and then, when the Ukrainian was injured, he saw Takehiro Tomiyasu preferred ahead of him.

So you could see the pent up frustration pour out of the Scotland international when he gave Arsenal the lead with a thumping half-volley in the first half.

It was a big moment for Tierney, who was a constant threat down the left flank, and a timely reminder to Mikel Arteta about his qualities ahead of Sunday's crucial trip to Chelsea in the Premier League.

Winner: Mohamed Elneny

This wasn't a standout performance by any means, but just the fact that he was back out on the pitch was a big plus for Arsenal and Arteta.

Elneny may not be one of the superstars of the Arsenal squad, but he is a valuable option who can come in and ease the workload on the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.

His return to action for the first time since August due to a hamstring injury also allows Sambi Lokonga to move further forward into the slightly more advanced role midfield role where he is more comfortable.

Elneny lasted 63 minutes before being replaced. Arteta will be delighted to have him back.

Winner: Mikel Arteta

Arsenal’s manager probably wasn't impressed with his side’s performance, but he will still be delighted with the result.

Arteta was desperate to win the group and get a bye straight through to the round of 16 in the knockout stages.

And the 1-0 success ensured exactly that – with Arsenal now having two less matches to worry about during the frenetic fixture list after the World Cup.

Finishing as runners-up would have seen the Gunners have to play a two-legged clash in February against one of the sides who had come down from the Champions League.

But now the Gunners can put their feet up and not worry about the Europa League until March and that will be a major boost to Arteta as he looks to protect his players’ fitness levels during the crucial season run-in after the turn of the year.

AdvertisementThe Losers

Loser: Gabriel Jesus

It felt like Jesus' inclusion from the start was purely designed with the aim of ending the striker's goal drought ahead of Sunday's game at Chelsea.

But, not for the want of trying, Jesus couldn't end a run which now stretches back to the north London derby success against Tottenham on October 1.

He had chances, as he always does, but each time he was denied by a fine piece of defending, or an excellent save by keeper Yanick Brecher.

It's eight games without a goal now for Jesus in all competitions. The positive for Arsenal is that he is still contributing, as his brace for assists against Nottingham Forest demonstrated.

But Arteta will still be desperate to see his big summer signing back on the goal trail sooner rather than later.

Loser: Eddie Nketiah

It was another tough night for Nketiah, who has struggled after a bright start to the group stage campaign.

He hasn't been helped by being made to start on the left-hand side of the attack in a couple of the games, including tonight, but he would have still have hoped to have made more of an impact.

He did go close to scoring in the first half when his header was kept out by Brecher, but other than that he never really looked like troubling the Zurich goal.

With Jesus struggling for goals at the moment, Nketiah has had an opportunity to put some pressure on the Brazilian, but he has been unable to take it.

Loser: Fabio Vieria

Like Nketiah, Vieira had an excellent start to the group stage campaign, but he has been unable to maintain that impressive form.

He popped up in a few good positions against Zurich, which was demonstrated by the fact he had four shots on goal during the 73 minutes he was on the pitch.

His finishing was poor, however, with one miscued attempt at a spectacular volley summing up his night.

Vieira is still young and has shown flashes of real quality since his summer move from Porto, but there is clearly quite a bit of work to be done before he can start putting pressure on the likes of Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka for a regular starting spot.

Arsenal Ratings: Defence

Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):

Made a vital stop in the second half to keep Arsenal in front.

Ben White (6/10):

Had a big part to play in the goal. Solid again.

Rob Holding (6/10):

Made more tackles than anyone. Competed well in the air.

Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10):

Seemed to play in the second gear.

Kieran Tierney (7/10):

Great goal and was a threat all night.

Midfield

Mohamed Elneny (6/10):

Nothing spectacular, but Arteta will be delighted to have him back.

Sambi Lokonga (6/10):

Played in a more advanced role, but didn't make much of an impact.

Fabio Vieira (5/10):

Not a good night. Finishing was poor and looked off the pace.