Inter needed the points more. Arsenal took them anyway. Seven changes to Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up and still they made it seven wins from seven. A top-two finish secured let alone top eight – with a game to spare and that at home to Kairat Almaty.
A smiling Arteta admitted afterwards that if he had been the one writing the script for Arsenal’s 3-1 win over last season’s Champions League runners-up Inter, then it would probably have looked something like this, with Gabriel Jesus scoring twice in the San Siro.
When the Brazilian was substituted to a standing ovation from the Arsenal supporters up high in the third tier of the famous old stadium, on came Viktor Gyokeres to seal the victory. Arteta’s selection ‘headache’ up front takes on a different meaning now.
It was a special performance from Jesus, impressive even beyond the anticipation that he showed for both of his goals. But Bukayo Saka was also on song. Cristhian Mosquera was combative in the extreme. Gabriel Martinelli’s pass for Gyokeres’ goal was superb.
In truth, it felt like a big moment for this Arsenal team. Arteta talked of their maturity, their intelligence, their emotional control. Asked what it proved, he replied: “First of all, the ambition and the conviction that we have that we can compete against any team.”
The stakes had been slightly lower going into this, Arteta conceded. In a season in which he has talked of having to trick his own players into believing each game was the most important yet, this had a little less edge on it. Even with the changes, they were superior.
“They were better at seizing the opportunities and they showed more energy,” said Inter boss Cristian Chivu afterwards. “Saka is very difficult to stop. The way they run, they always caused problems.” He acknowledged: “We did not have many opportunities.”
Few do against Arsenal. David Raya, who has not even had to make a save in five of his Premier League appearances this season, did not get to depart with a clean sheet but nor was he overworked. Arsenal’s expected goals against is the competition’s lowest.
Even now, there is a hint of tentativeness about the talk. “We are getting closer,” Jesus had said on the eve of this game. “I do believe we can win.” And so he should. This is a team that is top of the Premier League and Champions League tables. It is not close.
The gap to second in the Premier League is seven points, with Arsenal having extended their lead on a weekend in which they did not win. They came to Milan boasting the only 100 per cent record in this season’s Champions League and leave with it intact and enhanced.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus celebrates with his teammates after scoring his second goal
With one foot in the Carabao Cup final, this is a team that is still going strong in four competitions under Arteta. A reminder that even the Invincibles lost the first leg of their League Cup semi-final at home to Middlesbrough – on this very day 22 years ago.
The fixture list has been relentless, the injury list unkind. This was a fourth away game in a row but here they are, having lost only once in all competitions since the end of August – and that against an Aston Villa they went on to beat 4-1 before the month was through.
Still their corners cannot be stopped. It is not just Premier League teams struggling. Chivu had explained that zonal marking would be his side’s plan. It was undone inside the first half, Jesus nodding in from close range after they won first contact yet again.
The depth is remarkable. Of the striker situation, Arteta said: “We have now different profiles in that position, like we have with the wingers and in other positions.” Gabriel and Declan Rice were substitutes in the San Siro. Martin Odegaard was not required.
Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal’s ‘hunger’ to come to the San Siro and beat Inter
Arsenal’s focus on the Premier League title makes total sense but do not sleep on their European ambitions. The Gunners ran into a Paris Saint-Germain team in their flow state last spring but Arteta’s rock-solid outfit is the sort set up for European silverware.
It is well over a year since Arsenal lost a Premier League game by two clear goals and that was when down to 10 men for an hour at Bournemouth. The away draws and narrow home wins that have made fans edgy are what Champions Leagues are made of.
Manuel Akanji, the Inter defender, might have withheld his praise beforehand. “Not the very best.” That was his assessment of Arsenal, pointing instead to a Bayern Munich beaten 3-1 in London in November. But Arsenal have nothing to fear. Only themselves.
Because still there are those nagging fears.
The concern that it will all go wrong.
Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to score Arsenal’s third goal against Inter
That angst is understandable in context. Arteta has urged his team, and by implication their supporters, to “enjoy the journey” but that is not quite the emotion that captures this feeling right now. Arsenal are aching for a trophy. Desperate for this not to be in vain.
The fans know that they had more Premier League points than this three years ago. The rational part of their brain appreciates that Manchester City are not what they were, that Liverpool are out of the title picture and that Aston Villa cannot hope to last the pace.
They know all that but they worry. No matter that they have scored 72 goals courtesy of 16 different scorers, none of them are into double figures. Is Gyokeres really going to be good enough when it matters most? Will Jesus and Saka stay fit? Yes, they worry.
Topping this phase of the competition did not do Liverpool much good last time around. And there is still the possibility of an awkward draw in the round of 16. The negative spin is that maybe Arsenal have peaked too soon yet again. But this was still a barometer.
It was an indication of where Arsenal are right now. That there could be more fluency should be seen as a positive when they are winning anyway. The best Germany and Italy have to offer have been beaten. They are better than everyone they have played so far.
Arteta’s mantra is that they must use each confidence boost as fuel. “We have to carry on going,” he concluded on Tuesday. For the Arsenal supporters, some will need to see it before they believe it. But maybe they also need to believe it before they get to see it.
Because while the pocket of supporters cheering long into the night in Milan sounded like they were heeding Arteta’s advice to enjoy the journey, most have another thought in mind. It is the destination that matters now. And that could be so sweet indeed.
