Hakan Calhanoglu scored the only goal of the game from the spot as Arsenal fell to their first European defeat of the season
Goal-shy Arsenal suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season after Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty in first-half stoppage time saw them beaten 1-0 by Inter at San Siro on Wednesday night.
The visitors dominated large chunks of the game, but once again struggled to create clear chances, with Gabriel Magalhaes going closest to scoring when his header was cleared off the line in the second period.
At the other end Inter rarely threatened, but the penalty they were controversially awarded just before the interval when Mehdi Taremi flicked the ball onto the arm of the unfortunate Mikel Merino was enough to give them the win, with Calhanoglu sending David Raya the wrong way from the spot. Merino was unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty himself beforehand after being punched in the head by goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The loss is Arsenal’s third in six games in all competitions and they have failed to find the net in all three of those defeats.
XIN88 rates Arsenal’s players from San Siro…
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.
Midfield
Bukayo Saka (6/10):
Could have done better with one effort in the first half which he put straight at Sommer. Wasn’t able to get on the ball enough in dangerous areas to really hurt Inter.
Thomas Partey (7/10):
Lost possession in a dangerous spot early on, but grew into the game after that and was probably Arsenal’s standout 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):
Some moments of quality. Put in a couple of dangerous crosses in the first half and looked like the most likely to make something happen. Faded after the break.
Attack
Kai Havertz (6/10):
Did well holding the ball up and winning his duels, but never really threatened the Inter goal aside from one late shot that was deflected wide. Needs to show a bit more anticipation at times when the ball comes into the box.
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.
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.