After a campaign blighted by wretched luck, both in injuries and missed opportunities, Arsene Wenger could be forgiven for waking up today thinking Arsenal's fortune has finally changed following a result that goes a long way to redefining their season.

Had the Gunners lost here in the Stadio Olimpico last night, their confidence would be in tatters and claims for a top-four Premier League finish hugely undermined by becoming the first of the English quartet to be knocked out of the Champions League.

But they made it through, thanks to a doggedly resilient, if somewhat disjointed, display that was aided by referee Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez's leniency and Julio Baptista's baffling profligacy in front of goal in normal time, not to mention the fortuity of winning a penalty shootout.

The Eternal City was an apt place for Wenger, the eternal optimist, to rightly hail the fighting spirit his players showed on a night which tested their resolve to the very limit.

He said: "I am proud of the mental strength because that is something which has been questioned a lot in our team.

"You could see that we have improved tremendously on that front. I was very concerned if we were the only team to go out tonight that it would have been detrimental to the progress of the team, so it will certainly help us to improve our confidence.

"The team have swum a lot against the stream. I believe this kind of result can increase the belief and the self-confidence which can help us for the rest of the season."

On the one hand, Arsenal were rewarded for the admirable character showed in recovering from Juan's 10th- minute opener before a vociferously partizan crowd.

But there again, although there were spells when they threatened to find their fluency, the visitors were second-rate for extended periods and never hit top gear against a side bereft of several first-choice regulars.

After all, this was a patched-up Roma side who were already shorn of Daniele De Rossi, Cicinho, and Philippe Mexes before losing goalscoring defender Juan to injury after 28 minutes, forcing left-back John Arne Riise to play as an emergency centre-half.

The goal was a shambles from Arsenal's perspective. A decent combination down the Giallorossi's left enabled Francesco Totti to strike a low cross that had no real pace, yet it bamboozled the Gunners rearguard.

Rodrigo Taddei's dummy allowed the ball to run to Juan, who squeezed a low shot past Manuel Almunia.

Two defining moments prior to penalties both had Arsenal hearts in mouths. Gael Clichy was fortunate not to give away a spot-kick for a collision with Marco Motta; it may only have been a nudge but contact was evident.

"From the bench it looked like Motta was in front of Clichy and he touched my player," said Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.

The decision - described by Wenger as a "very close call" - brought memories of Ryan Babel's contentious late penalty conceded by Kolo Toure in the dying throes of last season's quarter-final clash with Liverpool.

This time it was not given and that is the kind of luck needed to win a knockout competition. It struck again in the form of ex-Gunner Baptista, who chose to have his best ever game for Arsenal in a Roma strip.

Totti brilliantly helped on a right-wing cross 10 minutes from time and, with the goal at his mercy, the Brazilian completely fluffed his lines.

Extra time gave us nothing more than the misfiring product of two tired sets of players and after Eduardo and Mirko Vucinic missed, 11 penalties were dispatched before Max Tonetto blazed over.

Arsenal will have to play better if they want to return here in May but there is every possibility that will be the case with Theo Walcott, Eduardo, Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas all expected to be fit and firing when the quarter-finals start on 7/8 April.

That will help Wenger arrest the uneasiness several of his players exhibit in the 4-2-3-1 system increasingly favoured in European away games, with Nicklas Bendtner looking uncomfortable on the left.

Failure in Italy last night would have prompted fears of a summer exodus but this result could bring the squad together. This counts as another 120 minutes without a goal but the momentum from wins over West Brom and Burnley means the feeling of a genuine assault on three fronts can gather real pace.

American playwright Wilson Mizner once wrote: "The only sure thing about luck is that it will change". After last night's events, Wenger may be starting to agree.