Arsenal's Champions League win at Inter is more important than many think

Arsenal made it seven wins from seven in the Champions League with a 3-1 victory away to Inter Milan on Tuesday night and that triumph is more important than many think.

Taking three points from the world's fashion capital meant the Gunners secured a top two finish in the league phase and while they are in a comfortable position to finish top of the table, Mikel Arteta won't be too fussed as he now knows what ending the phase as part of the highest-ranking duo means for his side.

As a result of their league phase finish, the North London outfit have been blessed with the home advantage in the second leg of every game en route to the final.

Arsenal's win at Inter massively benefits their knockout phase run

The Gunners had already secured automatic qualification for the round of 16 before they even kicked a ball in Milan as Manchester City's shock 3-1 defeat to Bodø/Glimt meant their title rivals would skip the fixture-congesting play-off round.

This allowed Arteta to take a slightly more relaxed approach to Tuesday's game, as shown by his decision to make seven changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest, offering the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eberechi Eze, Cristhian Mosquera and Mikel Merino chances in the starting lineup.

Despite fielding a slightly weaker side than usual (if that's even possible at this point), Arsenal romped to victory in Milan, as a Jesus double and a stunning finish from substitute Viktor Gyökeres fired them six points clear at the top of the table.

Securing a top two finish has rewarded the Gunners with something that will seriously benefit their hopes of lifting the Champions League for the first ever time — home second-leg advantage throughout the knockout phase.

This will be great news for Arteta and his side as it no doubt presents them with a much greater chance of reaching the final, set to be played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest in May.

Arsenal played the second leg at home just once on their way to the semi-finals last campaign. That came against PSV Eindhoven in the last 16, a game that ended 2-2 after the Gunners had eased to a 7-1 win in the Netherlands.

Arteta's side then took on Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, winning 3-0 in front of a home crowd in the first leg before pulling off a late 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu. However, the one time the Gunners really could have done with a home advantage in the second leg was in the semi-finals.

Facing Paris Saint-Germain in the last four, the first leg was played in north London with Arsenal losing 1-0, meaning the chances of making a comeback in Paris were slim. That was proven to be true as they went on to lose 2-1 in the French capital to miss out on a spot in the final. If the venues had been reversed, the Gunners would have fancied their chances of writing a different story.

Despite falling short last season, Arsenal are now in a far better position to go on and win the Champions League and they now know they will have a home crowd behind them in each deciding leg of their journey through the knockout phase.