Arsenal suffered their first European loss of the season as Hakan Calhanoglu scored the game’s lone goal from the penalty spot.
Goal-shy Inter defeated Arsenal 1-0 at San Siro on Wednesday night thanks to a penalty kick from Hakan Calhanoglu in first-half stoppage time, resulting in Arsenal’s first Champions League loss of the year.Gabriel Magalhaes came closest to scoring in the second period when his header was saved off the line, but the visitors once again struggled to produce clean chances despite controlling huge portions of the game.
Inter hardly ever threatened on the other end, but they won thanks to a contentious penalty kick that Calhanoglu sent David Raya the wrong way after Mehdi Taremi flicked the ball onto the unfortunate Mikel Merino’s arm shortly before halftime. After goalie Yann Sommer hit Merino in the head, it was unfortunate that Merino did not receive a penalty himself previously.
Arsenal has lost three of their last six games in all competitions, and they have failed to score in each of those three losses.
Goalkeeper & Defence
David Raya (6/10):
Quiet evening. Was relatively untroubled. Went the wrong way for the penalty.
Ben White (6/10):
Got forward when he could, but was sloppy in possession at times. Not at his best.
William Saliba (7/10):
Relatively untroubled. Dealt well with the Inter attack. Could have done better with a header from a corner early in the second half.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):
Good battle with Lautaro Martinez which he won fairly comfortably. Saw one header cleared off the line from a Bukayo Saka corner.
Jurrien Timber (7/10):
Did well up against the pacy Denzel Dumfries, solid display.
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Midfield
Bukayo Saka (6/10):
One attempt in the first half, which he aimed directly at Sommer, should have been better. wasn’t able to score enough goals in risky situations to cause Inter any serious harm.
Thomas Partey (7/10):
After losing possession in a risky situation early on, he settled into the game and was perhaps Arsenal’s best player in the first half.
Mikel Merino (4/10):
Poor first half. First touch was awful at times. He was unlucky to give away the penalty, but was replaced by Jesus at half-time.
Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):
A few high-quality moments. put in a few risky crosses in the first half and appeared to have the best chance of causing an event. faded following the pause.
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Attack
Kai Havertz (6/10):
Did a good job of winning his duels and holding the ball up, but other from a late attempt that was deflected wide, he never posed a serious threat to the Inter goal. Sometimes, when the ball enters the box, there should be a little more suspense.
Leandro Trossard (4/10):
His poor form continues. Sloppy in possession early on, looks like he is trying to force things when he gets on the ball.
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Subs & Manager
Gabriel Jesus (6/10):
On at half-time and his arrival sparked a better Arsenal performance. Never really got a sight of goal though.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (N/A):
On for the final 10 minutes.
Ethan Nwaneri (N/A):
Lively late cameo. Sent one shot over. Needs to be given more minutes.
Martin Odegaard (N/A):
On in injury time – good to see him back.
Mikel Arteta (5/10):
A much better performance from his side than at Newcastle, but the same result. Needs to try something new in attack. Should have brought Nwaneri on earlier.