Steaua Bucharest 0 Arsenal 1:Arsene Wenger's dynamic young team have not been held up by much this season, during their imperious march to the Premier League summit and their sweep into the Champions League. Last night was no different. They took a bold step towards qualification to the knockout stage of the Champions League after Robin Van Persie's clinical 76th-minute finish.

No English team had beaten Steaua in Bucharest, and it appeared the sequence would continue. Despite being the better side, Arsenal were frustrated by an inability to make capital from the chances they created.

Cesc Fabregas was the chief culprit and he sank to his knees in disbelief after lifting over the bar from close range in the eighth minute. There was also frustration when, just before half-time, Gael Clichy's deflected cross appeared to be collected and carried over the line by Robinson Zapata, the Steaua goalkeeper. Replays seemed to prove the ball had gone over.

Van Persie, though, garnered reward for another disciplined performance when he lashed high into the net from Emmanuel Adebayor's cut-back. Wenger insists his team is a work in progress, and have done nothing yet. They continue to hint that they will.

Arsenal may be fighting to resist contentious influence at boardroom level but at Steaua there has been no stopping it. The club's owner is Gigi Becali, a businessman who, as the president of the New Generation Christian Democratic Party, also has designs on political power. He thinks he should have a big say on team selection and his previous manager, Gheorghe Hagi, bore it only for three months.

His replacement, Massimo Pedrezzini, was told defeat here would see him sacked. Jose Mourinho thought he had it hard.

Wenger had expected a 28,000 sell-out, an intimidating atmosphere to test his young charges. In the event, the Steaua Stadium was not full, as home supporters stayed away in protest at Becali and expensive ticket prices. The cheapest seat last night cost the equivalent of €65.

Nonetheless, Steaua provided a test and, in an open start, they could have gone ahead. Valentin Badea, the striker, headed wastefully over the bar, having found space in the area, from Romeo Surdu's centre and, moments later, when he nodded Banel Nicolita's whipped free-kick into the net, he was flagged offside.

Arsenal protested that Van Persie had been fouled inside the box by Ovidiu Petre in the early running while Fabregas inexplicably steered over the bar from four yards, following Aleksandr Hleb's cut-back - a bad miss - before the tie settled.

Adebayor was booked for playing on after the whistle had blown and lifting the ball into the net, but more sinister were the vociferous catcalls from sections of the crowd when he was in possession.

Arsenal manipulated the ball well in their approach work, their movement typically easy on the eye but, frequently, their end product brought frustration. If Adebayor had his time again, he would surely have elected to shoot from the inside-left channel, after Van Persie had played him through, rather than look square, where there were no white shirts.

The major talking point of the first-half came on 40 minutes, when Gael Clichy's cross from the left deflected towards goal. Zapata was wrong-footed and as he collected the ball he appeared to carry it over the line.

Steaua are the most decorated club in Romanian history and they won the European Cup in 1986. It is a fair bet that the class of 2007 will not repeat such glory, but Arsenal laboured to make their superior class tell.

The home support were beside themselves in the 71st minute when the substitute Victoras Iacob raced through, one-on-one with Manuel Almunia. He opened his body up but sent his shot lamentably wide. Van Persie showed him the way to goal.

STEAUA BUCHAREST: Zapata, Emeghara, Baciu, Marin, Rada, Petre, Dica, Nicolita, Neaga (Zaharia 77), Surdu (Badoi 85), Badea (Iacob 60). Subs not used: Cernea, Cristocea, Nesu, Croitoru. Booked: Marin, Rada.

ARSENAL: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue (Silva 73), Adebayor, Van Persie. Subs not used: Fabianski, Diaby, Diarra, Denilson, Bendtner, Walcott. Booked: Adebayor.

Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).