Mikel Arteta's troubles continue to pile up. In a week marked by the unexpected resignation of sporting director Edu, Arsenal's unbeaten run in the Champions League came to an end as Hakan Calhanoglu maintained his perfect penalty record for Inter, scoring the only goal in a closely fought match. It was a frustrating night for Arteta, who was booked for handball in the second half and nearly got sent off as his team searched for an equalizer. Despite a significantly improved second-half performance that saw Arsenal earn 13 corners to Inter's none, they suffered a second consecutive 1-0 away defeat.
Arsenal's last visit to Inter's stadium nearly 21 years ago resulted in one of their most memorable European nights, with Edu starting in midfield alongside Ray Parlour as Arsène Wenger's side secured a 5-1 victory, capped by a brilliant solo goal from Thierry Henry. After failing to win any of their last three Premier League matches, Arteta welcomed the return to continental action, describing it as 'the kind of game that gets my blood pumping.' He was also pleased to have Martin Ødegaard on the bench after the captain missed 12 games due to an ankle injury.
Without Declan Rice, Thomas Partey moved to central midfield, while Ben White started in a back four that had yet to concede a goal in the Champions League after three matches. Inter, who had also kept three clean sheets but scored two more goals than Arsenal, were just above them in the table. Manager Simone Inzaghi had rested five key players for their win over Venezia, including Calhanoglu and Mehdi Taremi, who were both restored to the starting lineup.
Inzaghi had planned to use possession to neutralize Arsenal's attacking threat, but it was the Italian champions who took control. Within 100 seconds, Denzel Dumfries hit the crossbar with a shot, and Calhanoglu fired just wide from distance. Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm, and it took a timely intervention from Gabriel Magalhães to cut out Taremi's dangerous low cross. The Brazil defender was cautioned after pushing Inter's captain Lautaro Martínez as Arsenal prepared to take their first corner. Arteta used a break in play to give instructions to Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Martinelli, likely to address the threat posed by Dumfries.
Martinelli had a chance after some good play from Bukayo Saka, and the stand-in captain had Arsenal's first shot on target in the 27th minute. A dangerous cross from Martinelli was inches away from connecting with Mikel Merino's head, with the Spaniard receiving a blow as Yann Sommer punched clear, but VAR did not intervene. Despite their earlier efforts, Inter had yet to test Raya, but their chance came just before halftime when the referee awarded a penalty after the ball hit Merino's arm from Taremi's close-range volley. Calhanoglu calmly converted from the spot to give Inter the lead.
Merino was replaced by Gabriel Jesus at halftime, with Kai Havertz moving into midfield. Arsenal looked determined to equalize, with Martinelli shooting into the side netting and William Saliba mistiming his jump from a corner. They almost scored from their next corner when Gabriel headed towards goal, but Dumfries cleared off the line. Ødegaard was warming up on the sideline, but it was Inter who made a triple substitution just after the hour mark. Arteta received a bizarre yellow card for picking up the ball while it was still in play, and the referee gave him a final warning minutes later as his frustration grew.
Havertz had a golden chance to equalize when Leandro Trossard's cross found him eight yards out, but his effort was poor, allowing Yann Bisseck to make a timely block. Arteta first turned to Ethan Nwaneri for inspiration before introducing Ødegaard in additional time. However, Inter's defense remained solid, setting up for their top-of-the-table clash with Napoli with another clean sheet. For Arsenal, who travel to face Chelsea on Sunday, it was another disappointing result.
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