Arsenal vs Inter Milan Review: Three Lessons from a 3–1 Champions League Win

Arsenal left the San Siro with a 3–1 win over Inter Milan, seven wins from seven in the UEFA Champions League, and a locked-in top-two finish in the league phase.

This matters. A top-two finish reshapes the spring. Fewer extra matches. More control over tie order. More decisive minutes played at the Emirates.

This match still carried edge. Inter tested the areas that decide European ties. Transitions. Box defending. Control after momentum swings. Arsenal answered most of it with rotation and decisive contributions off the bench.

First Lesson Learned. Arsenal can press high, then manage risk without losing threat

Arsenal showed they can attack early and still slow the game without losing chance quality.

Arsenal’s best spell arrived early. The opening ten minutes had speed and intent and produced the first goal. The press pinned Inter in build-up, forced hurried clearances, and kept Arsenal’s attacks close to the box. That pressure created the chaos for the opener, with Jurrien Timber’s effort turning into a loose ball that Gabriel Jesus attacked first.

The match shifted after that. Inter found rhythm in transition and punished loose spacing. Mikel Arteta has spoken about how quickly Inter turn one regain into a chance. Arsenal felt that threat whenever they lost the ball centrally. Inter did not need long spells of possession. One vertical pass and a runner were enough.

Arsenal still won the match on control. Not sterile possession. Control through choice. When to press. When to settle the game.

The numbers support it. Arsenal finished with a 2.1 to 1.4 xG edge, 17 to 13 shots, and six shots on target. Possession sat at 48.7 percent for Arsenal and 51.3 percent for Inter. Arsenal also won more corners, seven to four. That matters for this team.

The deeper numbers match the eye test. Inter’s non-shot xG was higher, 1.7 to Arsenal’s 1.3. That reflects Inter’s ability to progress into useful zones even when the final shot lacked value. Arsenal turned its own possession into higher-quality shots. That difference tends to decide knockout ties.

There was a clear tactical adjustment after the break. Arsenal reduced cheap central turnovers and chose safer exits when Inter’s counter press set. Second-half chances followed repeatable patterns. Wide entry. Cutback lane. Late runner arriving at the top of the box. Eberechi Eze’s early effort, Leandro Trossard’s volley, and Bukayo Saka’s blocked finish all came from that structure.

Arsenal pressed, scored, conceded, then reset without panic. The match never turned into chaos. Arsenal kept threat on the ball and retained enough rest defence to manage Inter’s counters.

Set pieces remain decisive. Arsenal’s second goal came from a corner. Saka to the back post. Trossard back across. Jesus free in the middle. In elite away fixtures where open play could tighten, that edge travels.

If you want one line for the night, this was a win built on a press, a set piece, and a late counter punch. That profile more than survives away from home in Europe.

Second Lesson Learned. The striker rotation is real, and Jesus changed the conversation

Arsenal now have forward profiles that suit different match states.

Gabriel Jesus scored twice and played like a striker who trusts his body again. The goals were classic. A quick reaction in the six-yard box. A composed pause and finish on a broken set-piece sequence. He did not need perfect service. He attacked loose moments and punished them.

That matters for two reasons.

First, Arsenal have lacked that exact profile in some league matches. A forward who lives on second balls can turn pressure into goals without a long build-up.

Second, it creates a real decision for Arteta. Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench and scored the third. He ran the channel, held contact, combined with Saka (who’s mistake was it really), then finished from range. It looked like confidence, not relief.

This is not meant to stir up a debate for entertainment. It boils down to a squad function question.

Jesus offers sharp penalty-area movement, fast reactions in crowded spaces, link play that pulls wide players into the box, and pressing intensity.

Gyokeres offers power running behind the line, a direct outlet on clearances, a carry threat that drops the back line, and a shot from range that changes midfield behaviour.

The value is having both. Arsenal could start with Jesus, score, then introduce Gyokeres when Inter pushed numbers forward. The third goal came from that match state.

There were selection lessons elsewhere.

Timber’s role mattered. He contributed to the first goal sequence and stayed aggressive. His positioning helped sustain the press and pin Inter’s wingbacks.

Cristian Mosquera returned earlier than expected and faced top-level forwards. He defended wide spaces, absorbed contact, and recovered when Inter broke pressure. He was not perfect. He was functional. That is a win for depth and rotation.

Myles Lewis-Skelly had a mixed night. That is normal in this setting. He faced repeated transition moments and made key blocks, including in the build-up to Inter’s goal. He kept going. Arsenal carried a young player through a tough away European match and still won.

Eze’s night sits here too. He had moments and stretches where he looked disconnected. This was a game with heavy off-ball responsibility. When Declan Rice entered, control improved. This isn’t meant as a negative verdict, it is part of the reason Eze doesn’t start as often as people would like and will probably improve over time with the team.

Saka did not score but tilted the match. He won the corner for the second goal, created threat in transition, and played his part in the move that led to Gyokeres scoring. That is elite European output.

Third Lesson Learned. Arsenal’s depth and game management fit a long season

Arsenal rotated heavily and still won in one of Europe’s hardest stadiums.

This was the fourth straight away match across four competitions in twelve days. It was a workload test. Arsenal passed it.

Rotation without drop-off
Seven changes from the weekend. The level held. These were functional alternatives, not placeholders. That protects the league campaign and preserves legs for March and April.

Bench impact
Rice, Gabriel, Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gyokeres all entered late. Structure held. Control improved. Arsenal finished stronger.

Set-piece output as an edge
Arsenal’s corner goal is now part of the identity. Nineteen goals from corners across the season is a real scoring stream. In knockout ties, chances shrink. Corners remain. Execution stays elite.

Emotional control after momentum swings
Inter equalised quickly. Arsenal did not wobble. They kept creating, regained the lead through a repeatable weapon, then managed the second half and closed the match late.

The maturity Arsenal showed last night is what decides European ties and tight league runs.

There is also a practical angle. Arsenal face Manchester United on Sunday, then host Kairat in the final league-phase match. Securing a top-two finish changes minute allocation. Arteta can protect players midweek and still go strong domestically.

Conclusion

Arsenal’s 3–1 win over Inter Milan was as complete a Champions League away performance as you could’ve wanted, especially with a heavily rotated side.

Lesson one. Arsenal can press high and manage risk without losing threat.
Lesson two. The striker rotation is no longer theoretical.
Lesson three. Depth and game management fit a long season.

This wasn’t a perfect night. It didn’t need to be. Arsenal won with familiar, repeatable tools. Pressing. Set pieces. Depth. Control. This is the foundation that has brought them to this point – leaders in Europe and at home.