Thierry Henry's 14th goal of the season provided the bonus for Arsenal as Arsene Wenger's team safely negotiated a passage into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup for the first time in 21 years.

The Gunners were beaten on the night after Deportivo La Coruna's first substitute Victor Sanchez levelled Henry's 62nd-minute strike - the Frenchman's fifth in Europe this season - seven minutes later and another replacement, Ivan Perez, netted again in the last minute.

It gave the home fans at least some satisfaction but by then the Spanish League leaders' mountainous task to peg back a four-goal deficit from last week's colourful encounter at Highbury had become a veritable Himalayan range.

Deportivo, whose once-commanding lead at the top of the Spanish League was cut to four points at the weekend by a defeat at Malaga, made five changes from the starting line-up in last week's 5-1 battering.

Influential Brazilian skipper Djalminha was among the missing having been handed a three-match ban after being sent off in the first leg.

They certainly missed him and had he been there to general the side as he did so impressively before his red card in the first match it might have been at least a slightly different story.

But England goalkeeper David Seaman kept Arsenal's early fragile confidence intact with a wonder save and then rode his luck when a long-range free-kick from Jaime sailed clean through the defensive wall and clattered a post.

Deportivo coach Javier Irureta had to go for broke with an all-out attacking line-up and in a desperate bid to attract a crowd to cheer a seemingly lost cause the club drastically slashed the price of tickets for home fans.

But they ended up jeering Portuguese striker Pauleta, who allowed Arsenal's Silvinho and Oleg Luzhny to hustle him out of two very presentable opportunities which were critical at the time, early in the second half.

Henry showed no such hesitation when, just after the hour mark, he powered home the goal that ended any Spanish hopes of a real contest.

Kanu's clever flick on the edge of the box enabled his front-line partner to spin clear and the sheer strength of his drive was too much for Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Kouba, making only his second appearance of the season in place of axed Cameroon star Jacques Songo'o.

Kouba got a touch but could not prevent the ball arrowing into the net.

Arsenal were pegged back seven minutes later when Victor prodded home a left-wing cross from Fernando. And it had really been all over much earlier when Ivan's late strike beat Seaman as well.

The attendance at the Riazor Stadium, just beside the beach on Spain's north-west coast, was well below the capacity 36,000.

But there was still enough noise to unsettle Arsenal, who were forced to play Emmanuel Petit and Luzhny as a makeshift central defensive partnership, in the absence of skipper Tony Adams and suspended pair Martin Keown and Gilles Grimandi, early on.

With Marc Overmars only among the substitutes nursing an ankle injury and non-flying compatriot Dennis Bergkamp also absent, manager Arsene Wenger told his troops it was almost certain they would have to weather some rough patches, especially at the start.

And there was almost the dreaded scenario of an early Deportivo goal when in only the second minute centre-back Ramis was left unmarked to meet a long free-kick by Mauro Silva but headed wastefully over the bar.

Ever-willing Henry's shot was deflected for a corner at the other end but Arsenal's nerves were still showing when Fernando came raiding down the left in the eighth minute to fire over a far-post cross which was nodded down for Pauleta to hit a crashing volley which Seaman somehow kept out with a magnificent reflex save at the expense of a corner.

Henry then wasted a golden chance to settle Arsenal down. The rebound from Silvinho's block-tackle sent the Frenchman clear inside the box and he rounded Kouba only to see Nourredene Naybet clear his weak shot from the line.

Veteran defender Nigel Winterburn, playing like a trouper in midfield and wearing the captain's armband, then set up Ray Parlour, who skipped past a challenge to fire fiercely at Kouba from just inside the box.

Seaman, smothering a Turu Flores free-kick right on the line after it had been blasted low and clean through the defensive wall from 25 yards, enabled Arsenal to survive the critical opening half hour unscathed.

But the England keeper had an amazing escape in the 33rd minute when, unsighted by a screen of bodies, he reacted late to midfielder Jaime's long-range free-kick which cannoned against a post and was then headed behind by Petit.

Jaime, unmarked, missed another chance when trying to sidefoot Pauleta's cross home from the edge of the box but only gave Seaman a comfortable save.

Freddie Ljungberg lifted Arsenal's fragile confidence when his deflected shot forced Kouba into an athletic stop just before the break.

And although Deportivo gamely continued to carry the fight to Arsenal, Henry's excellent effort ended all their remote hopes for good. The Gunners had looked almost as likely to score as their hosts.

It was just a pity Arsenal could not maintain their unbeaten away record in Europe this season, including three games in the Champions League.

But they always looked likely to qualify for a last-eight meeting with Werder Bremen - 3-2 aggregate winners over holders Parma - with the first leg at Highbury next Thursday.