Arsenal left to fly Euro flag

Arsenal's attacking play overcame the French side

Lens 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal win 3-1 on aggregate

It may not have been a vintage Arsenal performance but the Gunners kept their heads when other British sides had lost theirs and booked themselves a UEFA Cup final place.

Striker Thierry Henry scored just before half-time and Arsenal secured victory with a Nwanko Kanu goal minutes from the end.

The home side had deservedly pulled one back late in the second half and had a great chance to level the aggregate score.

But despite demonstrating commitment and physical strength, it was never enough to see off the threat of Arsene Wenger's attacking side.

Thierry Henry put the Gunners ahead on 43 minutes

His men will now meet Turkish side Galatasaray in Copenhagen for the final on 17 May.

Arsene Wenger will be equally pleased with the win as with the fact none of his eight stars under threat of suspension were booked and will thus be available for the crucial tie.

After the game, Arsene Wenger expressed his relief at a job well done.

He said: "It means a lot for me to take Arsenal to a UEFA Cup final but it was a strange game.

"We could have been two or three up and we should have finished the game off earlier.

I never felt under threat too much because I thought we controlled the game

Arsene Wenger

"I never felt under threat too much because I thought we controlled the game. We created a lot of chances, but like all season, we need too many chances for us to score."

Lens started brightly making it difficult for the London club to settle but Arsenal striker Thierry Henry soon made his pace count and half-chances fell to either side.

The first serious threat to Arsenal's goal came in the 14th minute when Lens midfielder Lamine Sakho completed a penetrating run with a beautiful ball across the box which keeper David Seaman lunged to gather.

Seaman was under pressure again minutes later when a Dixon clearance failed to make its mark and he was forced to punch it clear from the edge of his box.

Glorious opportunity

In an end-to-end contest, Lens threatened well on the break - particularly Sakho who worried the Arsenal back four with his strength and pace.

In fact, despite getting into some good positions, Arsenal's early play was characterised by poor ball control and sloppy passing.

But, they gradually began to stamp their authority on the match and put Lens under increased pressure.

Dennis Bergkamp made his presence felt

Not surprisingly, when the Arsenal goal did come, it was Frenchman Thierry Henry who put his side ahead of that of his countrymen.

His superb strike just before half-time gave the Lens' keeper Guillaume Warmuz no chance and capped a dogged first-half display.

Within minutes of the restart, Arsenal's Emmanuel Petit spurned a glorious opportunity to put the game out of reach when his indecisiveness cost him a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Lens refused to lie down and a Nyarko shot in the 57th minute gave his team a lift and the crowd something to cheer.

A well-worked move gave Lens hope in the 72nd minute when neat passing culminated in a stunning Charles-Edouard Coridon cross finding Pascal Nouma at the far post.

He rose strongly above the ball and was able to nod it down into Seaman's net.

But the game was put beyond their reach when Kanu stroked a Marc Overmars' cross into the Lens net with just a couple of minutes left on the clock.

The victory has given Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp, who has a phobia of flying, the chance to win the UEFA Cup with three different clubs - having already lifted the trophy with Ajax and Inter Milan.

Both he and Arsene Wenger will be pleased the venue for the final is just a short boat ride across the ocean.

Teams Lens: Warmuz, Sikora, Dacourt, Nyarko, Brunel, Sakho, Nouma, Pierre-Fanfan, Ismael, Coridon, Queudrue. Subs: Lachor, Rodriguez, Collet, Moreira, Job, Coly, Chabbert.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Silvinho, Parlour, Vieira, Petit, Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Henry. Subs: Winterburn, Overmars, Grimandi, Malz, Luzhny, Kanu, Manninger.

Referee: Jose Garcia-Aranda (Spain)