Mikel Arteta’s problems keep on mounting. In a week that they were rocked by the surprise resignation of the sporting director, Edu, Arsenal surrendered their unbeaten start in the Champions League after Hakan Calhanoglu kept up his record of never having missed a penalty for Inter to score the only goal of a tightly contested game.
It was an exasperating occasion for Arteta, who was bizarrely booked after half-time and came close to being sent to the stands as his side searched for an equaliser. But despite a much-improved second-half display that saw the visitors rack up 14 corners to Inter’s none, they sank to a second successive 1-0 away defeat.
Arsenal’s last visit to face Inter in this cavernous arena nearly 21 years ago resulted in one of the most famous European nights in their history, with Edu starting in midfield alongside Ray Parlour as Arsène Wenger’s side recorded a memorable 5-1 win that was rounded off by a brilliant solo goal from Thierry Henry during the Invincibles season. There was to be no repeat this time, however, despite Arteta’s side dominating the game after an early flurry from the hosts.
Arsenal have now lost three of their last six matches in all competitions to stymie their early progress this season. The only bright spot was the return of the captain, Martin Ødegaard, for the dying moments after he had missed the last 12 games due to an ankle injury.
In the absence of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey reverted to a central midfield role while Ben White was able to start in a first-choice back four that had yet to concede a goal in the Champions League after three matches until their visit to northern Italy. Inter have now picked up four clean sheets and find themselves comfortably inside the top eight in the Champions League standings, with Arsenal down in 12th spot.
The manager, Simone Inzaghi, had rested five key players for Inter’s victory over Venezia on Sunday including Calhanoglu and Mehdi Taremi and they both played important roles here. Inzaghi had stated that his side would aim to retain possession to nullify Arsenal’s attacking threat but it was the Italian champions who took the initiative. Barely 100 seconds had passed when Denzil Dumfries hammered a shot against David Raya’s crossbar before Calhanoglu fired just wide from distance.
Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm and it needed a timely intervention from Gabriel Magalhães to cut out Taremi’s dangerous low ball into the area. The Brazil defender was cautioned after shoving over the Inter captain, Lautaro Martínez, as Arsenal prepared to deliver their first corner. Arteta took the opportunity of a break in play to deliver some instructions to Jurriën Timber and Gabriel Martinelli, presumably in an attempt to quell the danger of Dumfries.
The Brazilian could not make the most of some excellent play from Bukayo Saka before the stand-in skipper recorded Arsenal’s first shot on target in the 27th minute after cutting in from the right flank. A wicked cross from Martinelli was then inches away from connecting with Mikel Merino’s forehead, with the Spaniard receiving a blow to the head as goalkeeper Yann Sommer punched clear but VAR ruled there had been no foul play – much to Arteta’s anger.
For all their earlier endeavours, Inter had yet to test Raya but their opportunity came on the stroke of half-time when the referee, Istvan Kovacs, awarded a penalty against Merino after the ball struck his arm from Taremi’s volley from point-blank range. There was very little the Spain midfielder could have done about it, as Calhanoglu stroked home from the spot to give the hosts the lead.
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It proved to be Merino’s last act of the night, he was replaced by Gabriel Jesus for the second half as Kai Havertz dropped into midfield. Arsenal looked determined to find a way back into the game as Martinelli shot into the side netting before William Saliba mistimed his jump from a corner when the goal was gaping. They almost scored from their next corner when Gabriel won a header at the near post but Dumfries was able to clear off the line.
Watching on intently as he warmed up on the sideline was Ødegaard, although it was Inter who brought on fresh legs with a triple substitution just after the hour mark. Arteta was then shown an unusual yellow card after picking up the ball while it was still on the pitch, with Inter awarded a free-kick. The Romanian referee gave the Arsenal manager a final warning minutes later when he protested another decision as his frustration began to boil over. “It was an interesting conversation,” Arteta said.
Havertz had a golden opportunity to equalise when Leandro Trossard’s cross found its way to the Germany international eight yards out but his effort was poor and it allowed Yann Bisseck to make a timely block. Arteta first turned to teenager Ethan Nwaneri for inspiration when Havertz sustained a cut to his head that required stitches before Ødegaard was finally introduced in additional time. But Inter’s defence remained rock solid as they tuned up for this weekend’s top of the table clash with Napoli here with another clean sheet. For Arsenal, who travel across London to face Chelsea on Sunday, the disappointments keep coming.
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