It was more nervy than it needed to be but Arsenal secured a second-place finish ahead of opponents Manchester United with the win in a seven-goal thriller at a sunny Emirates Stadium.
A point would have been enough for the home team to earn a place in the third round of qualifying for next season’s Champions League but a three-goal advantage with 20 minutes remaining was reduced to one in the space of six minutes to keep the jeopardy alive and the atmosphere among the 46,603 tense to the finish.
