The Gunners produced arguably the most accomplished away display of an English side in recent Champions League history to dump holders AC Milan out at the San Siro.

Fabregas was at the heart of the battling performance, having cleared an early header from Milan skipper Paolo Maldini off the line and hitting the crossbar - before then driving in a superb 25-yard effort with six minutes left.

A close-range tap-in during stoppage-time from Togo frontman Emmanuel Adebayor - his first European strike for the Gunners - capped a night which will live long in the memory.

Fabregas, 20, is sure to have many more chances of glory, but feels in the here and now, there is no better place to be than part of Arsene Wenger's impressive young squad.

"It was one of the best moments of my career and I went straight to the boss because without him I would never have had the chance to play in a game like this," the Spain international said.

"Maybe I have not been at my best since my injury, but now I feel great once again.

"This performance has been very important for my confidence, after you have started the season so well and then have an injury.

"I was not playing the way I used to, and I was a bit upset. I needed a performance like that."

Fabregas added: "We only have a small squad, and have had lots of injuries.

"However, now we have important players coming back, like Robin [van Persie] and maybe next week Tomas [Rosicky] and Kolo Toure. So it is all positive."

The Arsenal players took a deserved lap of honour following their victory, which was acknowledged by many of the home supporters as well as the large travelling contingent.

While Fabregas was speaking to the media in the tunnel after the game, Milan midfielder Kaka stopped to give him a congratulatory pat on the back as the FIFA World Player of the Year left the stadium.

It was a mark of respect from the highly-gifted Brazilian, who recognised a hard-working Arsenal side had ensured he had only a limited impact on last night's events.

"We have to be very proud of what we have done," Fabregas reflected.

"We went over to our fans, and you could also see some of the Milan fans clapping. You could see they like this kind of football and that we played well. They had a lot of respect for us.

"The Milan players too, they all said: 'well done, we hope you win it now'.

"Afterwards, when you look back on your career, these are the nights you are going to remember."

Next up for the Gunners are Wigan on Sunday, when Wenger's men can extend their lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League over Manchester United, who are in FA Cup action against Portsmouth.

And Fabregas firmly believes the Gunners have the game to go all the way this season.

"Other teams know if they let us play, we can be very dangerous," he observed.

"They close us down and defend, we have to try not to make mistakes and just play our own football."

Fabregas declared: "The spirit of the team is amazing, and we have to keep going.

"Now, though, we just have to be focused on Sunday's game - we have to go to Wigan and win there."