5 talking points as Arsenal send statement with dominant Inter victory

INTER MILAN 1-3 ARSENAL: Gabriel Jesus was on hand to score twice for the Gunners as they continue to sit top of the pile with the Champions League knockouts closing in

Arsenal are on course to be top dogs in the Champions League as they secured their seventh win on the bounce by seeing off Inter Milan at the San Siro – with Gabriel Jesus staking his claim to be the main man in attack.

The Brazilian scored twice as the Gunners downed their Italian opponents, showing that he lost none of his knowhow during his lengthy injury lay-off. Both his goals owing to the instinct of an attacker destined to add to his goal tally.

Jesus was first to react to a scuffed shot from Jurrien Timber to set Arsenal on their way early on. Their lead was short lived however as Inter bounced back impressively, leading to Petar Sucic firing past David Raya from outside the box with an impressive side-footed finish.

Arsenal‘s No 9 was on hand to restore his side’s lead, again reacting quickest as he headed home another of the team’s corner routines. Not one to be outshone, Viktor Gyokeres appeared from the bench to add a third for the north Londoners. His strike was certainly timely with Jesus seeking to take his place.

Inter ramped up the pressure in the second-half as they sought to draw themselves level for a second time, but couldn’t breach an Arsenal goal that has only conceded twice in this season’s Champions League.

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The Gunners have made the last eight and the last four in successive seasons under Arteta as they continue to mark themselves out as one of Europe’s most elite outfits. They look poised to take another step forward – here’s five talking points from their win in Milan.

Jesus vs Gyokeres hots up

Gyokeres was taken out of the firing line at the San Siro, and part of him must’ve wondered whether his time on the bench would be extended following Jesus’ stellar brace. The Swede has found himself constantly in the limelight following his sow start to life in north London.

With Jesus now fit Arteta has a credible alternative. Given the talent out wide, it appears unlikely that Jesus and Gyokeres would find themselves starting in the same XI – so now it becomes who can further their own case.

The Brazilian didn’t need long, showing his predatory instincts with a smart finish early on. It was the type of instincts that you felt Arsenal had been lacking in some of their recent stalemates. It was a similar story for his second. Right place, right time.

The two men would swap roles for the last 15 minutes, the Swede replacing the Brazilian, and the ex-Sporting Lisbon man made the most of his limited minutes with a beautifully curled finish to seal the three points. With a clash against Manchester United to come on Sunday, it leaves Arteta with a huge choice to make.

Stick to what you know

It was the 19th time, yes you read that right, that Arsenal had scored from a set piece when Jesus headed home a corner routine in Italy. To anyone who wasn’t aware of the plan, Bukayo Saka’s delivery looked to be far too deep, but Leandro Trossard was on hand to perform his role.

He headed back into the middle of the box, his header brushing the crossbar, before falling to Jesus just a yard from goal. Arsenal have forged themselves a reputation as specialists when it comes to set pieces. Some have labelled it boring. There’s no doubting its effectiveness though.

A lot can change in a year

Rewind just over 12 months and Arsenal saw their unbeaten start to their Champions League campaign ended by Inter at the San Siro. On that November night it was a contentious VAR call that secured the Italians a 1-0 win.

This season Arsenal have improved in almost every metric and the Premier League leaders showed that they have indeed, evolved. They dominated for long periods, all whilst leaving the likes of Gabriel and Declan Rice on the bench, further proving they have a squad capable of winning the Champions League.

Inter finding their level

Last year’s finalists always felt like they were set for a bit of a dip, especially as they embark on a new era following Simone Inzaghi’s departure to the Saudi Pro League. Inter began with a bang and were among the teams to have won all of their opening four games.

Since then though class has told. With respect, they began their campaign against the likes of Union Saint-Gilloise and Slavia Prague. Since then they’ve faced Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal – losing all three. They are top of Serie A as things stand, but reaching a third Champions League final in four years looks an immensely tall order.

Almost perfect

Arteta’s side are seven from seven in Europe this season and they’ll be beyond heavy favourites to complete their faultless start to their Champions League task when they face Kairat, the Kazakhstan minnows, next week.

This new era of Champions League football is still relatively new, two years in fact, but Arsenal could enjoy the pleasure of becoming the first team in history to go eight from eight. Liverpool came close, but fell at the final hurdle last term. The Gunners themselves won six of their eight last year, but enjoying a 100% start would be another statement of intent. Over to next week.

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