AC Milan 4 Arsenal 0:FOR ARSENAL here was the evidence of just how far they have fallen behind Europe's elite. Arsene Wenger's team were out-passed, out-thought and, ultimately, outclassed. They are almost certainly on their way out of the competition and, even in a season when they have encountered so much turmoil, it was staggering to see the deterioration of this team.
A side with this many deficiencies cannot hope to survive in the Champions League. In defence Arsenal were dishevelled to the point that Milan will probably think they should have won even more handsomely. The Premier League’s fourth-placed team did not manage a single shot on target until the 66th minute and by that point they were three goals down.
These are the nights when the top teams reveal themselves to be intrepid travellers but Wenger’s team badly lost their way once Kevin-Prince Boateng’s volley had opened the scoring to set up a night of almost unrelenting pressure. Robinho added two more goals, either side of half-time, and Johan Djourou’s trip on Zlatan Ibrahomivic gave him the chance to make it 4-0 from the penalty spot. The Swede had tormented Arsenal all night. This was a footballer playing at the point of maximum expression and he made sure the return leg on March 6th now feels like a formality.
Arrigo Saachi, the former Milan coach, was quoted in the morning Gazzetta dello Sport saying this was “the worst Arsenal side in 10 years”. They were, he said, vulnerable in defence and poor at getting the ball back when they had lost possession.
Wenger will always defend his team but there were long spells when Saachi’s assessment of Arsenal felt brutally truthful.
They had actually begun the game well, knocking the ball around nicely in the first 10 minutes. But it was not long before their night began to turn into an ordeal. After 15 minutes Antonio Nocerino chipped a ball into the path of Boateng, finding space 20 yards from goal, and what followed was a moment of brutal excellence, a right-foot volley that was so sumptuous it made it feel like a trick of the mind to remember the player who had lacked confidence and shone so fleetingly during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
Wenger will not be thrilled by the way Thomas Vermaelen allowed him to peel away but Boateng was still at an angle when it was audacious to try to beat Wojciech Szczesny. It was not quite Marco van Basten territory but the power of the shot was similar. The ball flew past Arsenal’s goalkeeper, ricocheting off the underside of the crossbar. It was an extraordinary goal.
Now the decibels went up another notch. Massimiliano Allegri’s team seemed buoyed. Ibrahimovic was an elusive opponent, drifting back from the forward positions to get involved, demonstrating the full repertoire of his talents. Robinho was a constant menace and Milan never allowed the early injury for Clarence Seedorf to disrupt their rhythm.
Arsenal, in turn, looked ragged at times defensively and desperately lightweight in attack. Even before Robinho headed in the second goal there was the clear sense of a team hanging on. One slip from Vermaelen left Robinho running clear, with Ibrahimovic in support, only to lose his balance and allow Laurent Koscielny to make a saving interception. Then Ibrahimovic found space on the left flank, advanced purposefully before rolling the ball over his foot and casually picking out Robinho inside the six-yard area. The Brazilian angled his header into the far corner.
Vermaelen has rarely looked so susceptible. It was his slip, too, that allowed Robinho to turn in the third, thumping his shot into the bottom corner after Ibrahimovic’s sideways pass had been marginally over-hit. Arsenal looked hopelessly out of their depth. This was a miserable way for Thierry Henry, a half-time substitute, to end his loan arrangement from New York Red Bulls.
AC MILAN: Abbiati, Abate, Mexes, Thiago Silva, Antonini, Seedorf (Emanuelson 12), Van Bommel, Nocerino, Boateng (Ambrosini 69), Ibrahimovic, Robinho (Alexandre Pato 84). Subs not used: Amelia,Nesta,Bonera,El Shaarawi. Booked: Antonini, Mexes, Ambrosini.
ARSENAL: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny (Djourou 44), Vermaelen, Gibbs (Oxlade-Chamberlain 66), Song, Rosicky, Walcott (Henry 46), Ramsey, Arteta,van Persie. Subs not used: Fabianski, Arshavin, Benayoun, Coquelin. Booked: Song,Djourou.
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).
