Clinical counter-attacking, hard work, team spirit and a large chunk of luck. The personnel will be different but the same again from Arsenal will leave them well placed to defeat the kings of Europe.

Of course, the challenge is far greater in the Champions League, despite the progress Liverpool have made under Brendan Rodgers.

Bayern will arrive at Emirates Stadium as dominant favourites to repeat last season’s victory against the Gunners; under Pep Guardiola they have won 19 of their 21 Bundesliga matches to sit 16 points clear of Bayer Leverkusen in second. Since losing the second leg of their last-16 match against Arsenal on March 13, they have been defeated just twice in 51 games.

If the Gunners are to have any chance of defeating the European champions, they will need to replicate the key component parts of yesterday’s FA Cup success.

In one sense, they will have no excuses. For Arsene Wenger took a significant gamble in making seven changes and apparently compromising his best opportunity of silverware this season.

If this match signalled the start of Arsenal’s Olympics, as Wenger asserted pre-match, then it is clear he considers the FA Cup a bronze medal. Trophy-starved supporters greeted the team sheet yesterday with exasperation.

Yaya Sanogo made his first start for the club, while Carl Jenkinson, Lukasz Fabianski and Lukas Podolski were among the players who came in to give the regulars a breather ahead of Bayern.

It was a gamble that paid off. Arsenal recharged the batteries of several key personnel and still secured an important win. Wenger will face the same conundrum when the FA Cup returns next month because their home tie against Everton will come just three days before the second leg against Bayern, assuming ITV selects the match for its Saturday evening slot.

But, until then, Wenger can reflect on a performance that relied on several qualities they will need to show not just against Bayern but consistently on the run-in if they are to end this campaign with silverware. Despite the upheaval, Wenger selected a strong spine to his team. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny were again paired at centre-back, protected by Mikel Arteta and the returning Mathieu Flamini, fresh from his three-game suspension.

While Mesut Ozil also continued in the advanced midfield playmaker role, that central quartet in behind provided the platform for a resolute display. Liverpool, just as Bayern are likely to do, had more possession and dictated the flow of the game for extended periods.

Arsenal rode their luck, with Daniel Sturridge missing two early chances to score and Luis Suarez testing Fabianski but, at the other end, they were lethal.Sanogo made a nuisance of himself all afternoon — albeit looking extremely raw in the process — and the chaos that he created enabled Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to sidefoot home in the 16th minute to hand Arsenal an advantage.

Just after Suarez wasted another scoring opportunity moments after the interval, Podolski emphatically finished another counter-attack. Having got their advantage, Arsenal were then required to dig in.

Steven Gerrard halved the deficit with a penalty after Podolski fouled Suarez and only referee Howard Webb can explain why Liverpool were not awarded a second spot-kick just minutes later after the Uruguayan fell under a clumsy tackle from Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Gerrard should have been sent off shortly afterwards for a second yellow card after a late tackle on Oxlade-Chamberlain but, by then, Liverpool deserved to be level. Luck and benefiting from refereeing decisions has forever been a part of securing an advantage in tight matches — both may be required again when Bayern arrive in north London.

Fabianski, who has already signalled his intention to quit the club, was required to make further interventions as Arsenal clung on. The euphoric celebrations at the final whistle from several players including Mertesacker and Flamini underlined the importance of securing a win during this key period and perhaps burying a few demons from the 5-1 mauling against the same opposition in the process.

“It was vital for us to respond to the disappointing performance we had against Liverpool last week,” said Wenger. “It was vital as well because we had an opportunity to go to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

“I am very pleased with the intensity of our commitment and our response, our determination. You could feel there was a clinical desire in my team to take every opportunity to kill them.”

Wojciech Szczesny, Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud can all expect to return to the starting line-up against Bayern. Tomas Rosicky may also be included, given Wenger’s preference for using the midfielder as a big-game specialist.

The challenge on Wednesday is more daunting than that posed by a resurgent Liverpool, whose major flaw remains a suspect defence. Bayern have conceded two goals in their last nine matches and despite missing Franck Ribery and his likely replacement Xherdan Shaqiri through injury, they remain the most fearsome side in Europe.

Arsenal have it all to do over two legs but a replication of this performance will give them a chance.