Inter Milan flustered Arsenal’s attack time and again, controlling the air after scoring from the penalty spot in a 1-0 UEFA Champions League win at the San Siro on Wednesday.
[ ARTETA: Arsenal ‘very harshly done by’ penalty call ]
Hakan Calhanoglu converted the penalty after Mikel Merino was whistled for a handball in the box, and Inter held on for the win with a composed performance in and around their 18.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was upset after the game, citing a non-penalty call when Inter keeper Yann Sommer made contact with Merino’s head while attempting to punch a cross.
Arsenal are now 2W-1D-3L in their last six matches across all competitions including twin 1-0 losses to Newcastle and Inter.
[ MORE: UEFA Champions League table, leading scorers ]
Both Arsenal and Inter entered unbeaten with seven points, and Inter’s 10-point haul puts them in a top-eight spot.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard made his return to Arsenal in second half stoppage time, but the Gunners were without Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori. With sporting director Edu leaving earlier this week, there is a lot for Arsenal to sort out on and off the pitch in the coming weeks to get their project back on track.
Arsenal still fiddling with the lock
Forgive Arsenal fans if they remain on edge following 180 upsetting minutes over the past few days. The Gunners went down 1-0 at Newcastle United and just couldn’t find a way into the Magpies goal at the weekend, as Arsenal continue to struggle for answers inside the 18 without Martin Odegaard (The Norway playmaker did return for the final five minutes of Wednesday’s loss). But once Inter took the lead, it was always going to be a big ask for the side that couldn’t unlock a not-exactly-defiant Newcastle back line. Inter’s defensive record under Simone Inzaghi is a lot better, and the hosts’ 53 clearances against Arsenal is a show the San Siro’s seen a few times in its 98 years showcasing Milanese football.
Inter Milan vs Arsenal player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Inter Milan vs Arsenal player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Inter Milan vs Arsenal player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Inter host Napoli on Sunday in Serie A action before hitting the international break. Their next Champions League game comes Nov. 26 at home to RB Leipzig.
Arsenal go to Chelsea at 11:30am ET Sunday. They return from the international break to host Nottingham Forest before going to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.
How to watch Inter Milan vs Arsenal live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Wednesday (November 6)
Venue: San Siro — Milan
How to watch: Stream on Paramount+ and TUDN USA
Inter Milan vs Arsenal final score: 1-0
Hakan Calhanoglu 45+3'
Inter Milan vs Arsenal live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time — Inter Milan 1-0 Arsenal
That’s 213 minutes without a goal across all competitions for the Gunners.
Clinical, frustrating deep defense from Inter
Cross after cross, corner after corner, Inter are clearing Arsenal’s best bets to make it 1-1.
The Gunners have 15 shot attempts, 14 corner kicks, and 11 crosses.
Inter have 44 clearances and seven blocks, led by Stefan de Vrij’s 10 and Yann Bisseck’s seven.
Arsenal subs
Here come a pair of Gunners: Oleksandr Zinchenko and Nwaneri replace Jurrien Timber and Leandro Trossard.
Inter lead 1-0, 82'.
Final quarter hour
Inter have made four subs since Arteta put Jesus into the game.
Raheem Sterling, Jorginho, Martin Odegaard, and Ethan Nwaneri are all on the bench, but the next sub is also Inter.
Mehdi Taremi leaves for Federico Dimarco.
Oh! Two good Arsenal chances
A near-post corner kick is nearly put in by Gabriel Magalhaes, but Dumfries clears it off the line.
Sommer then flies through the air to flick a cute little Kai Havertz chip from reaching the upper 90.
One sub at the break; Inter remain stubborn
Merino left the game at halftime for Gabriel Jesus, as Mikel Arteta is betting on another attacker to get a point out of Milan.
But Inter have shown good discipline.
Halftime — Inter Milan 1-0 Arsenal
That was proper Inter Milan, defending set pieces well and finding their pot of gold from the spot.
Shots are 7-6 for Arsenal, who have held 54% of the ball at the San Siro.
xG sees Inter Milan at a pen-aided 1.13-0.63, while they’ve successfully dealt with seven Arsenal counters and not had one of their own.
Inter Milan penalty, Calhanoglu goal — Inter 1-0 Arsenal (45+3')
Hakan Calhanoglu steps to the spot. and rolls a low shot down the middle. David Raya goes the other way.
Arsenal concede their first goal in #UCL play as Hakan Çalhanoğlu puts Inter ahead from the spot 😤 pic.twitter.com/l5iLshHKsW
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 6, 2024
Another Arsenal corner leads Inter counter, free kick, and penalty!
Arsenal take their seventh corner kick, but Inter deal with it... and counter.
Lautaro Martinez is dropped 30 yards out from goal.
The service goes into the box and the shot attempt goes off Mikel Merino’s arm at close range.
Penalty!
Inter finally counter attack, miss high
Davide Frattesi and Lautaro Martinez are at the business end of a long Inter Milan counter attack, one that came after ages of Arsenal possession without much bite.
This sees Frattesi get on the end of Martinez’s cross, but miss just over the bar.
Arsenal come close
A whipped-in free kick will be met by either the head of Mikel Merino or the gloves of Yann Sommer.
It’s the latter, and Merino’s head takes a punch for his efforts.
Still 0-0, 30'.
Arsenal find footing, Inter suffer injury
Inter opened the game with possession and saw Denzel Dumfries snap the cross bar with the outside of his foot from 16 yards.
Arsenal eventually found the ball and began to camp out in the Inter end.
It all leads to a corner kick that sees Denzel Dumfries slam into the post. He left the pitch but looks set to return to the game.
0-0, 20'.
Inter Milan lineup
Sommer, Pavard, De Vrij, Bisseck, Dumfries, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Darmian, Taremi, Martinez
Arsenal lineup
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Merino, Trossard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Inter Milan team news, focus
Lautaro Martinez scored the winner against Venezia at the weekend and both he and Marcus Thuram were a real handful up top. The latter has scored seven goals and added two assists so far this season in league play and should have had a few more at the weekend. Martinez has five goals and two assists in Serie A and as a duo they will stretch Arsenal’s central defenders all over the place. Dimarco is a threat down Inter’s left and he will whip in crosses galore, with Denzel Dumfries equally as dangerous down the right. Calhangolu is quality in central midfield and times his runs into the box so well. This is an experienced Inter side who will be aiming to get to the semifinals of this competition, at the very least.
OUT: Carlos Augusto (hamstring), Kristjan Asllani (knee)
Arsenal team news, focus
Injury problems are finally easing for Arsenal with captain Martin Odegaard back in training ahead of this game. If he could play some part in the second half that would be a massive boost, especially with Rice not being available. Calafiori is now the only real starter missing through injury, with Mikel Arteta no longer having the excuse of excessive injuries. Havertz, Saka and Martinelli will likely start in attack again with Rice, Merino and Partey in midfield and White surely coming back in at right back. Arsenal looked jaded and flat at Newcastle on Saturday and they badly need a big performance, and win, to reignite their season. Before the international break they head to Chelsea on Sunday and this feels like a pivotal week in their season.
OUT: Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Declan Rice (precaution), Riccardo Calafiori (knee), Kieran Tierney (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Martin Odegaard (ankle)
Inter Milan vs Arsenal prediction
This feels like a game where Arsenal will really have to dig deep and will spend a lot of time penned in by Inter’s favored 3-5-2 formation. If they can get it right on the counter then Inter’s center backs are susceptible, but this will be tight and tense and similar to their draw away at Atalanta in September. Inter Milan 1-1 Arsenal.
