Arsenal fell to a second consecutive defeat as Inter Milan beat them 1-0 at San Siro in the Champions League thanks to Hakan Calhanoglu’s first-half penalty.
Mikel Arteta’s side arrived in Italy without Declan Rice because of an injury on a week when they head to Chelsea in the Premier League off the back of a damaging defeat at Newcastle, and his absence was felt as the Gunners lost in Europe for the first time this season.
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino was hooked at half-time after his handball gave away the spot-kick, although there was little he could do to move his hand out of the way of Mehdi Taremi’s flick. It is likely it would not have been awarded in the Premier League.
Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu is surrounded by his team-mates after scoring his side’s winner against Arsenal
Merino felt he should have had a penalty earlier in the first half when Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer connected with his head as he punched clear Gabriel Martinelli’s cross, but VAR did not see enough to overturn the on-field decision.
Should Arsenal have had a penalty for this incident?
Arsenal put in 46 crosses to no avail, failing to score for the second game running, as William Saliba spurned a good headed chance and Kai Havertz was expertly denied by Inter defender Yann Bisseck, preferred ahead of the impressive Alessandro Bastoni.
Not even the introduction of captain Martin Odegaard, out for the last 12 games through injury, could inspire a late comeback as Arsenal dropped down to 12th in the Champions League table after Gameweek Four.
Inter, meanwhile, move up to fifth, into the automatic qualification spots, with 10 points from their opening four games, maintaining their unbeaten start to the competition despite having played Arsenal and Premier League champions Manchester City.
Arteta: Arsenal harshly done by
Arteta was spiky in his post-match interview with TNT Sport as he complained about the two decisions that went against his side.
“I’m really proud of my players and the way we played. The level of domination we had when we played. I feel we were harshly done by. In the sense that [both penalties were] obvious,” he said.
“Well especially if you’re gonna give a penalty in the other box, obviously that one has to be as he punches him in the head.
“It’s not a shot, it’s just a deflection [for Inter’s penalty]. There’s no danger in the box, there’s nothing you can do, the ball is very close to your body so I don’t know how you can get away from it. Especially if you give that one then the other one, 100 per cent has to be a penalty.
“With the amount of situations and chances we generated we should have scored a couple of goals at least and that’s on us. The way the team played – that was us tonight, the level of quality and how we arrived into the box and how we dominated a team that is one of the best in Europe. Honestly, I am very proud of them.”
Odegaard the creative spark Arsenal are missing
Arsenal’s struggles against Inter were reminiscent of last weekend’s defeat at Newcastle. They dominated the second half but could not find a way through a dogged defensive performance from their hosts. There was a dearth of creativity.
That was reflected in the team registering 46 crosses throughout the game. Arsenal, a side that have consciously decided against buying a striker for the last two years, were pursuing an approach that required a big No 9.
This was a game screaming out for Odegaard, who of course has been out since late August for Arsenal after suffering a ligament injury with Norway. Arsenal understandably decided against risking him until the final moments, but Ethan Nwaneri was needlessly kept waiting.
The 17-year-old has proven he has the skill and the guile to unlock defences when given the opportunity this season and, in the absence of Odegaard and Rice, this felt like the perfect time to give Nwaneri a chance to show it on the biggest stage.
Arteta handed the teenager just eight minutes of regulation time to make his mark as Arsenal’s struggles to discover the form that has made them Premier League title contenders show no signs of going away. Injuries to key players has them in a rut.
The hope for Arsenal is that once Odegaard and Rice are both fit and firing, they can get back to their best. Arteta might need them to do it sooner with another key game at Chelsea next up. It is early in the season, but he cannot really afford any more dropped points.
