Arsenal win 3-1 at home

Arsene Wenger set up his Arsenal team to play out their way into the quarter-final. It was clear from his tactics that the team went into the match just to dominate possession and frustrate Milan with an aim to counter them on the break. Calhanoglu’s goal came as a shocker for the Gooners and acted as a wakeup call for the home side as Danny Welbeck was tripped in the 18 area and scored the resulting penalty kick. The referee blew the whistle for halftime with the teams at level pegging. The second half was not the same. Granit Xhaka did what he does best in the 71st minute as he scored a long-range effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma who should have done better as the ball slipped under his arms and into the net. At 2-1, it was a mountain to climb for Gattuso’s men and Arsenal rubbed the salt on the wounds when Danny Welbeck scored the third in the 86th minute. That goal confirmed the elimination of the Milan giants who really deserve better. It is a shame that such a match between the two clubs has lost the hype as the teams have dropped a level and are no longer competing at the highest level. Next up is the UEFA Europa League draw. Will Arsenal have what it takes to sweep past everyone that comes their way and qualify for next year’s UEFA Champions League? Only time will tell.