5 things we learned from AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal

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Arsenal players celebrate after going ahead by two goals against Milan

Arsene Wenger has been a man of surprises this season, and it was no different when Arsenal travelled to Italy for their Europa League round of 16 fixture - only this time, it was for the good.

The Gunners thoroughly outplayed an in-form AC Milan, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey helped them to a 2-0 win away from home, their first victory in the last 5 games across all competitions.

A lot was expected off AC Milan coming into this fixture considering their current run of form - unbeaten in their last 13 games - but Arsenal made short work of l Rossoneri, and will be the favourites to go through to the next round.


#1 Milan's lack of control in midfield

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Milan's midfield was thoroughly overwhelmed by Arsenal's superiority

Arsenal's midfield was vastly superior in most regards to the home team - 2 goals coming from their midfield; 8 total dribbles completed (Mkhitaryan alone contributing to 5 of them) and 8 aerial duels won compared to Milan's 5 from midfield.

It was only in the tackling department that they fell behind - Biglia and Kessie combining to make 14 tackles compared to just 4 from Mkhitaryan and Ramsey.

Of the three, only Biglia delivered a fine performance, while the other two suffered their way through the match. Kessie, in particular, was almost responsible for a third Arsenal goal - his violently astray pass falling straight to Welbeck, but was thwarted by a hurrying Donnarumma.

If Milan are to win the second leg, and it is a big if, their midfield needs to be more solid. Not much can be changed in a week, but they could at least minimize errors and try to string together better passes.

#2 Ozil's elusive stepping up

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Mesut Ozil was by far the best player on the pitch

A lot has been said of Mesut Ozil in the past about how he never performs in crunch situations, and most of it was true. Today, however, Ozil decided to show up and everyone is glad about it.

There are few players in world football who are capable of matching Ozil every step of the way when he is in the right mood, and this match was an exhibition of it. He was head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch and his two assists were merely the cherry on top.

The first was a routine lay-up to Mkhitaryan that took a wicked deflection off Bonucci, but the second was simply magical - Ozil cut through two lines of defenders in front of him with a through ball to meet Ramsey's well-timed run and in one move, every defender had been taken out of the equation.

On the whole, he completed 39 of 44 attempted passes, two of them being assists. He made no contributions to the team defensively, but that's not what you want Ozil to do. Arsenal fans will be hoping that he can repeat this performance when they get back home.

#3 Bonucci's nightmare

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Milan's captain had a match to forget

If Milan's game can be summed up in a single move, it should be that of Bonucci's long pass from the back to Andre Silva towards the end of the game that missed its target by a good 25 yards.

Bonucci had an absolute howler of a game and was one of the main reasons for Arsenal's domination. Other than being responsible for the deflection for the first goal (frankly, there wasn't much he could do about it), he also had a hand in breaking down Milan's offensive displays by misplacing the simplest of passes.

He completed only 41 out of 57 attempted passes; made 0 interceptions and only 3 clearances and did not win any defensive aerials for the team. He had a chance early on to put his side in the lead from a corner, but his header went just wide.

Bonucci would do well to look at Chiellini's performance yesterday against Spurs - it would take an honest repetition of that from him if Milan are to have a chance at the Emirates.

#4 Return of the old guard

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Aaron Ramsey rolled back the years by walking the ball into the net

What was most surprising about this game was how different Arsenal looked from their pathetic display against Brighton (against City too, but most teams have looked pathetic against them this season).

The return of Ramsey resulted in a significant boost to their midfield, with Ramsey sharing defensive duties along with Xhaka while Wilshere was given the more attacking role. Add to this Koscielny and Mustafi returning nostalgic performances, and the end result is a mighty good Arsenal team.

Ramsey's cool finish after rounding Donnaruma and walking the ball into the back of the net was a trick straight out of Wenger's earlier days but what was even better was his defensive work rate. Koscielny too was on the top of his game - making 4 interceptions, 8 clearances, winning 4 defensive aerials while maintaining an 88% pass percentage.

Of course, this could be more about Milan's ineptitude than Arsenal's superiority. But if the Gunners can reciprocate half of what they displayed today, they would be a far better team in the Premier League.

#5 Arsenal focusing on Europa League to qualify for Champions League

AC Milan v Arsenal - UEFA Europa League Round of 16: First Leg
Can Arsenal pull off a Europa League triumph?

With a top-four finish out of sight, this is Arsenal's last possible way of springing a return to the Champions League next season. Manchester United managed it last season but had the good fortune of not encountering better teams on their way.

Arsenal this season have Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig and several more giant killers on their way. Considering that Dortmund suffered a shock 1-2 defeat at home to RB Salzburg, Arsenal fans will be rubbing their hands in glee at the mere idea of this.

It is still a long way to go in the tournament. In fact, there is still more one leg to go and anything can happen in football. But if Arsenal pull off a miracle in the tournament and find their way into the Champions League next season, there is no imagining the sort of pandemonium it will unleash.

Wenger too must be aware of this and he will concentrate everything he has on this last hope. Will we get to witness a stroke of genius from the Frenchman for one last time? Only time will tell, and hopefully, it is an interesting answer.

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Edited by Raunak J