Arsenal sent Inter Milan crashing to their heaviest home defeat in 47 years of European competition with a staggering 5-1 win at the San Siro on Tuesday.

Giovanni of Olympiakos (L) jumps for a header with Alonso Xabi of Real Sociedad during a Champions League group D soccer match in Athens, November 25, 2003. [Reuters]

The only team to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League on Tuesday were Monaco who had two men sent off in their 1-1 home draw with PSV Eindhoven, a result good enough to see them into the last 16.

But Arsenal's win overshadowed everything else on the first night of Matchday Five and came two weeks after their London rivals Chelsea thumped Lazio 4-0 in Italy three weeks ago.

Those defeats are the heaviest suffered at home in Europe by Italian clubs.

The only previous English team to beat Inter in the San Siro were Birmingham City who won 2-1 in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup semi-final in 1961.

Arsenal's victory was secured with three goals in the last five minutes and revived their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage after they started the night bottom of Group C.

It also avenged their 3-0 defeat by Inter at Highbury in the opening Champions League match in September.

It was the first time since European club soccer began in 1955 that a team losing by three goals at home in the first leg has emerged from the tie effectively winning on aggregate.

Arsenal, whose goals came from Thierry Henry (2), Frederik Ljungberg, Edu and Robert Pires, will qualify for the knockout phase if they beat group leaders Lokomotiv Moscow at home in their last group match at Highbury on December 10.

Inter's goal, which brought the score back to 1-1 after 33 minutes, also owed something to an Arsenal player as Christian Vieri's shot took a deflection off defender Sol Campbell.

Lokomotiv beat Dynamo Kiev 3-2 at home in earlier action to throw the group wide open. They top the group with eight points followed by Arsenal and Inter on seven and Dynamo on six.

MONACO THROUGH

While Arsenal rekindled their hopes with their first away win in the Champions League for a year, Monaco's were realised as they joined already-qualified Juventus and Real Madrid in the knockout stage after a 1-1 home draw with PSV Eindhoven in Group C.

Monaco finished with nine men after Akis Zikos and Ludovic Giuly were sent off in the last six minutes while PSV ended the match with 10 men after the harsh dismissal of Theo Lucius, who earned a second booking for a quickly-taken free-kick after 50 minutes.

Monaco went ahead through Fernando Morientes after 34 minutes before Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink equalised for PSV five minutes from time.

The point gained by Monaco was enough to ensure they go through even if they lose their last match at AEK Athens.

Deportivo Coruna beat the already-eliminated Greek side 3-0 in the other Group C match and will join Monaco in the last 16 on goal difference even if they lose 1-0 to PSV in their last match.

WIDE OPEN

Group A is wide open after Anderlecht beat Olympique Lyon 1-0 in Brussels with a 70th minute goal from Hannu Tihinen and Celtic drew 0-0 with Bayern Munich.

The four teams are separated by a single point with Celtic Anderlecht and Lyon all on seven points and Bayern on six.

Lyon host Celtic in their last match, while Bayern play Anderlecht in Munich also on December 10.

Juve, already through from Group D, did not play beacuse their match away to Galatasaray was postponed for security reasons following last week's bombings in Turkey.

UEFA on Tuesday ordered the game to be played at a neutral venue but the date and venue have yet to be determined.

Olympiakos drew 2-2 with Real Sociedad in Piraeus, which put the Spaniards on the verge of qualifying after they had Darko Kovacevic sent off in the 66th minute.

Juventus have 10 points from their four matches followed by Sociedad on eight, Olympiakos on four and Galatasaray on three, but Galatasaray still have two matches to play.

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