Arsenal outclassed Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to all but guarantee a spot in the Champions League knockout phase with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all on target on Wednesday.
Rice struck inside the opening two minutes after a clever lay-off by Havertz and the German put Arsenal in full control with a 66th-minute header.
Captain Odegaard put the icing on the cake of a clinical Arsenal display with a third in stoppage time -- his first goal in 14 games in all competitions.
Victory lifted Arsenal to third in the standings on 16 points and with the top eight qualifying automatically for the last 16 only an extraordinary sequence of freak results in next week's final round of group matches could deny the London club.
They are three points clear of the sides in ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13 places who would all need to win along with a massive Arsenal loss away to Girona.
A draw would be enough in Spain to avoid any possibility of being dragged into a two-legged playoff in February.
Defeat for Fabio Cannavaro's Dinamo side left them in the elimination places ahead of their last match at home to AC Milan which they will have to win to stand any chance of a playoff.
"Look it was an important win tonight. It's been a very positive Champions League campaign, so we've got one more to go now, hopefully we can win that as well," Rice told reporters.
"What I learnt from last year is that you need to be there or thereabouts at this time of the season and we are at the minute."
Arsenal's Premier League title challenge suffered a blow when they were held 2-2 by Aston Villa on Saturday after leading 2-0 -- a result that left them six points behind Liverpool.
They have been extremely reliable in the Champions League, however, and are now unbeaten at the Emirates Stadium in their last 15 UEFA competition matches.
A fifth win in seven games in this season's revamped competition was always on the cards once Rice drilled a low shot past Ivan Nevistic after Havertz had cushioned a pass to him from a Gabriel Martinelli cross.
It was Rice's first goal in the Champions League.
Arsenal were occasionally ruffled on the counter-attack as Dinamo showed plenty of pace going forward but the visitors lacked a cutting edge.
Arteta's side began the second half in lacklustre fashion but once the excellent Martinelli crossed for Havertz to plant a header past Nevistic the victory was inevitable.
Rice should have added his second when he headed wastefully wide but Odegaard made no mistake late on.
Own goal guarantees Celtic Champions League knockout stage playoff spot
An own goal five minutes from time gave Celtic a 1-0 victory over Young Boys Berne in the Champions League on Wednesday and took the Scottish side past the competition’s group stage for the first time in 12 years.
The ball rebounded into the net off the shin of Young Boys captain Loris Benito after Celtic substitute Adam Idah had an effort save by goalkeeper Marvin Keller, ending a frustrating night for the Scottish side who missed a penalty and had two efforts ruled out for offside.
They are now guaranteed a place in the knockout round playoffs.
Celtic looked headed for a draw that would have severely dented their hopes but their fortunes turned dramatically to the delight of the Celtic Park crowd.
They had endured a frustrating evening after Keller saved Arne Engels’ 41st-minute penalty and Kyogo Furuhashi twice had the ball in the net before being ruled offside.
Furuhashi also tucked away the ball after a breakaway in the 31st minute only for a VAR check to find Celtic captain Callum McGregor had won possession illegally with a foul on Cheikh Niasse in the build-up.
Young Boys remained without any points after seven matches in the new-look expanded group phase and were already eliminated before Wednesday's game.
But they came close to a share of the spoils as Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel made two superb stops to deny Darian Males and Mohamed Ali Camara with the last chance of the match.
Celtic had Daizen Maeda sent off in the 89th minute for a frustrated kick out at an opponent.
Leao strike earns Milan 1-0 win over Girona
A first-half goal by winger Rafael Leao helped AC Milan to a 1-0 home win against Girona in the Champions League on Wednesday, leaving the Italians well-placed to book a spot in the last 16.
Leao broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a stunning shot into the roof of the net from a low cross by Ismael Bennacer, who won the ball around the halfway line and dribbled past Girona's midfield to set up the Portugal winger.
The seven-times European champions Milan, who last lifted the trophy in 2007, are sixth in the standings on 15 points with the top eight earning automatic qualification for the last-16 stage.
They travel to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb for their last league phase fixture on Jan. 29.
Debutants Girona, who have a single league phase win, are 31st with three points and have no chance of securing a spot in the playoffs when they host Arsenal in their final game.
Milan were on the front foot in the opening stages and Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga was forced into early saves to deny a neat Tijjani Reijnders free kick and Leao's low attempt towards the right post.
The hosts then struck the woodwork twice through Theo Hernandez, who hit the bar, and Yunus Musah, who rattled the post from the edge of the area.
The visitors slowly grew into the game and both Donny van de Beek and Viktor Tsygankov worked Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan with good chances.
But Leao tempered their enthusiasm when he scored for the third consecutive Champions League game, having managed only three goals in his first 24 appearances in the competition prior to this run.
The last Milan player to score in three successive Champions League games was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who netted in five in a row between 2011 and 2012.
Girona ended the first half with more possession, and Spain forward Bryan Gil thought he had equalised before the hour mark with a lovely curled shot inside the far post - an effort that was ruled out for offside.
Girona coach Michel replaced his entire front line when he made four changes around the 70-minute mark.
However, fresh legs were not enough to turn the match around and Milan extended their winning streak in Europe's elite club competition to five games.
In the two previous campaigns when Milan won five or more games in a row, they went on to finish runners-up in 1993 and 2005.
Leipzig earn first Champions League win
RB Leipzig battled past visitors Sporting 2-1 on Wednesday to earn their first victory in seven Champions League matches and dent their opponents' hopes of a top eight finish.
Leipzig, who had lost their previous six matches in the newly-created league phase and are already eliminated, took a deserved lead when Benjamin Sesko slid in to connect with a perfectly-timed David Raum cutback in the 19th minute.
Raum, back from an injury that had ruled him out in October, then put the ball in the net himself in the 31st minute but it was ruled offside.
The Portuguese, with coach Rui Borges making his Champions League debut, had their share of chances to level shortly before the break before Leipzig came close themselves when Xavi Simons fired over the bar in the 49th minute.
Amadou Haidara came even closer when his low drive bounced off the post but Sporting substitute Viktor Gyokeres took matters into his own hands, beating defender Willi Orban in a one-on-one before drilling in the equaliser in the 75th.
The visitors' joy only lasted three minutes before Yussuf Poulsen scrambled the ball over the line for the winner.
Sporting are in 19th place on 10 points, with one game left to play. The top eight teams advance to the round of 16 while the next 16 battle it out in a playoff for a place in the knockout stage.
Shakhtar beat Brest 2-0 to keep playoff hopes alive
Shakhtar Donetsk kept their Champions League hopes alive as they secured a vital 2-0 home win over Brest on Wednesday thanks to a brilliant strike from Kevin and a well-taken penalty from Georgiy Sudakov.
The Ukrainian champions broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Brazilian winger Kevin pounced on a costly slip by Brest skipper Brendan Chardonnet, before racing into the area and confidently slotting home.
The hosts pushed hard to extend their lead and Brest keeper Marco Bizot made a series of impressive saves, before conceding a penalty for a poor challenge on Irakli Azarov and Sudakov scored with a chip down the middle of the goal.
Brest are 11th in the Champions League standings with 13 points, still well-placed to progress to the last 16, while Shakhtar are 27th on seven points and outside the playoff places with one match remaining.
Magnificent Martinez helps Inter defeat Sparta Prague 1-0
Lautaro Martinez scored a superb first-half volley as Inter Milan claimed a 1-0 Champions League victory over hosts Sparta Prague on Wednesday to stay on course for an automatic place in the round of 16.
Martinez fired home at the back post from the tightest of angles as he connected with Alessandro Bastoni’s cross and the ball bounced up and in off the underside of the crossbar, giving Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl no chance.
The home side offered little in the way of goal threat and are now out of contention for a place in the playoffs, having managed four points from their seven games and losing their last five matches in a row in the competition.
Inter climbed to fourth in the table with 16 points from seven fixtures and should seal their automatic round of 16 place at home to Monaco in their final fixture on Jan. 29.
Four of Inter’s five wins in the league phase have come by 1-0 scorelines, a familiar pattern where they look to keep it tight at the back but have enough individual quality to nick a goal.
They have the best defensive record in the competition with a single goal conceded, but have also scored the fewest goals of the top 19 teams in the table.
Martinez’s early goal settled any nerves they might have had as he moved level with Adriano as leading scorer for Inter in the Champions League with his 14th strike.
Sparta lacked the quality to break Inter down and created only half-chances in the game, the best of which fell to Veljko Birmancevic.
He forced a good low save from Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer when he collected the ball on his chest, turned and shot from the middle of the box.
Inter thought they had doubled their advantage on the hour-mark as Denzel Dumfries netted, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Martinez and Marcus Thuram spurned further opportunities for the visitors, who were able to see out the remainder of the match with some ease.
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