Arsenal’s struggles in front of goal continued as they fell to a 1-0 Champions League defeat against Inter Milan at San Siro on Wednesday night.
Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty in first-half stoppage time was enough to hand the Gunners their first loss in the competition this season.
Despite dominating possession for much of the game, Arsenal found clear-cut chances hard to come by.
Their best opportunity came in the second half when Gabriel Magalhaes' header was cleared off the line, underscoring another frustrating night in front of goal.
Inter offered little in terms of attacking threat but made their one real opportunity count. Just before the break, Mehdi Taremi’s flick struck the arm of an unlucky Mikel Merino, prompting a controversial penalty decision.
Calhanoglu stepped up and coolly converted, sending David Raya the wrong way. Moments earlier, Merino might have had a penalty of his own after a collision with Yann Sommer, who appeared to catch him in the head, but the incident went unpunished.
The defeat marks Arsenal’s third loss in six games across all competitions, with a concerning trend: the Gunners have failed to score in each of those defeats.
Here are your Arsenal post-match player ratings.
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Arsenal (4-4-2)
David Raya - 6
The Spaniard had a quiet evening overall, rarely tested by Inter's attack. Despite being largely untroubled, he went the wrong way for Calhanoglu's penalty, leaving Arsenal unable to find a way back into the game.
Ben White - 6
Ben White ventured forward when possible, but his distribution was occasionally careless. Not his sharpest performance and one that the Englishman will be quick to forget.
William Saliba - 7
The Frenchman composed throughout, handling the Inter attack effectively. Saliba could have made more of a headed opportunity from a corner early in the second half.
Gabriel engaged well in a physical battle with Lautaro Martinez and came out on top. Nearly found the net, but his header from a Bukayo Saka corner was cleared off the line.
Jurrien Timber - 6
The versatile full-back showed intent moving forward down the left, though his final delivery lacked precision. Handled Dumfries capably overall, but appeared wary of his pace in behind.
Thomas Partey - 6
The 31-year-old produced a few early moments of sloppy distribution but settled to deliver a steady performance at the base of midfield, breaking up play and keeping things organised.
Mikel Merino - 5
The summer signing was involved in several key moments during the first half, including a close chance to score and an unfortunate handball leading to the penalty.
Merino showed glimpses of his quality but continues to look like he’s still adjusting to life at Arsenal, with another performance that fell short of fully convincing.
Bukayo Saka - 6
The attacker spent much of the game pushing forward on the right wing, but struggled to create significant chances.
His delivery from set pieces wasn’t as sharp as usual, and despite his work rate, he couldn’t produce the cutting edge required to break down Inter’s stubborn defence.
The Brazilian delivered some quality crosses from the left wing, with one nearly resulting in a goal in the first half. However, his influence waned significantly after the break, and he struggled to have the same impact as the game wore on.
Leandro Trossard - 5
The Belgian dropped deeper into a more central role, effectively operating as an eight rather than a false nine. S
Trossard struggled to match the quality of Martin Ødegaard's playmaking, and his set-piece delivery was notably below par.
Kai Havertz - 6
At present, Havertz is excelling in all aspects of playing as a centre-forward - except for getting on the scoresheet.
The former Chelsea attacker moved into midfield in the second half, and came close to scoring with a cross that may have been intended as a shot.
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Substitutes
Gabriel Jesus - 5
The Brazilian showed his typical intent of pressing willingly from the front but failed to create anything of note.
Ethan Nwaneri: 6
The young Englishman came close to scoring in the dying seconds with a fine turn before firing over the bar.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: N/A
Martin Ødegaard: N/A
