Unlucky Gunners can take hope from defeat to Inter

Arsenal have traded St James’ Park for San Siro but the scoreline has stayed the same.

- RICHARD JOLLY

In a few days they have lost to Newcastle and Internazionale. They have lost Edu, too, and if the corridors of power are emptier, the numbers of reverses are growing.

And yet, while they repeated their result at Newcastle on Saturday, it was a defeat with a difference. Meek on Tyneside, Arsenal rediscovered their resolve. After their worst performance of the season came one of the better ones.

“The worst thing of the night is the result,” said Mikel Arteta. “The performance, attitude, the dominance against one of the best teams in Europe… of all the games we played away in Europe in the last few years, this is the best.” There are no prizes for winning the shot on target and corner counts, but Arsenal chalked up resounding triumphs, of 5-1 and 13-0. “We should have scored a couple, at least,” Arteta added. But goals are elusive now, genuine creativity too. Arsene Wenger coined the phrase “sterile domination”. Arteta’s Arsenal had the perspiration, but not the inspiration.

And Internazionale delivered the goal. Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty formed part of a trilogy of misfortune for Mikel Merino; denied a spot kick at one, blameless as he conceded one at the other, removed at half-time, feeling the worse for being whacked, it was not one Spaniard’s day. Nor another’s; Arteta has his own issues with referee Istvan Kovacs, getting first a yellow card and then a final warning for his appraisal of the Hungarian’s efforts. “A private, interesting conversation,” seethed the manager.