Sevilla pip Arsenal

Arsene Wenger's men went ahead through Abou Diaby before Nicklas Bendtner extended their lead, but a goal by substitute Dorel Zaharia allowed the visitors to emerge from the game with their credibility intact.

Sevilla laboured for much of their game against Slavia Prague before second-half strikes by Luis Fabiano, Frederic Kanoute and Daniel Alves ensured their victory.

Arsenal's win was built upon a superb first half performance, in which they put their visitors to the sword with the brand of quick, incisive football that has become their trademark.

Theo Walcott was a constant threat to Robinson Zapata's goal, and he nearly gave Arsenal the lead twice in the opening six minutes.

First he played a shot across goal and wide after being put through by the returning Robin van Persie, before brilliantly darting past three defenders and lifting his shot over the crossbar just moments later.

It seemed only a matter of time before the home side went ahead, and so it proved.

With eight minutes on the clock Walcott found Bacary Sagna on the right, and his low cross was neatly controlled by Diaby and then coolly dispatched into the top left corner.

Walcott continued to bewitch his markers with his electrifying pace and just before the half-hour mark he squirmed into the box and fired a shot across goal before setting up van Persie for a shot that curled just wide of the far post from the edge of the area.

Steaua looked completely incapable of getting to grips with their opponents, and the home side grabbed a second shortly before half-time when van Persie fed Bendtner inside the box and he rode a challenge before calmly passing the ball past Zapata and into the bottom corner.

Arsenal took their foot off the gas in the second half and were almost made to pay the price.

Zapata had bravely cleared the ball at Bendtner's feet before the visitors attacked down the left and substitute Zaharia guided a well-placed header over Jens Lehmann and inside the far post.

With five minutes remaining Ovidiu Petre's wicked half-volley fizzed just wide of Arsenal's goal, but in truth they never looked like conceding an equaliser.

Walcott could even have extended their lead deep into injury time when he scampered onto a through ball and tried to round Zapata before the 'keeper stuck out an arm to claw the ball to safety.

Sevilla thought they'd taken the lead fifteen minutes into their game at the Evzena Rosickeho Stadium when Daniel Alves's free-kick was deflected into the net by a team-mate in the wall, but it was ruled out for offside.

The best chance for the home side fell to striker Milan Ivana, who burst between two defenders and placed a shot against the post, and Sevilla went close moments before half-time when Renato attacked Diego Capel's left-wing cross with a header that flew inches over the crossbar.

Ten minutes into the second period Kanoute spurned a great chance to put his side in front when he followed up a header that had been brilliantly saved by Martin Vaniak with a weak shot over the bar.

The visitors' ineffectuality in front of goal prompted the introduction of top scorer Luis Fabiano in place of Arouna Kone, and he made an immediate impact.

Eight minutes after his introduction he was found inside the box by fellow substitute Enzo Maresca and made no mistake with a crisply hit shot across Vaniak.

Moments later Kanoute put the game beyond Slavia when he collected Luis Fabiano's pass and lifted the ball into the roof of the net, and Daniel Alves sealed the win with five minutes remaining when he galloped onto a pass from Duda and clipped the ball over the goal-keeper and in.