Arsenal made it seven wins out of seven in the Champions League so far this season, beating Inter 3–1 in Milan to further underline their status as favourites to lift the trophy come May.
Top of the league phase and already guaranteed to finish inside the top two in the final standings after Matchday 8 later this month, the Gunners have won seven games in a row in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in their history.
Gabriel Jesus netted a confidence-boosting brace in the first half either side of an Inter strike from midfielder Petar Sučić, the latter goal from Jesus being Arsenal’s 19th from a corner in 2025–26.
The Brazilian’s huge impact might have been a concern for goal-shy Viktor Gyökeres, but the Swede came off the bench and added some gloss to the scoreline with a fine strike of his own.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Inter (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya—7.0: Stood no chance of saving Sučić’s special equaliser. Did everything else he needed to, including two saves.
RB: Jurriën Timber—7.5: It was an unorthodox way to get an assist given it was his own scuffed shot, but being in the right place at the right time is important and helped Arsenal break the deadlock.
CB: William Saliba—7.1: Defensively sound again from the Frenchman, difficult to get past.
CB: Cristhian Mosquera—6.5: Marcus Thuram definitely proved a handful for the youngster, but he can feel proud of his efforts overall.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—7.2: If he wants his England place back before the World Cup, these are the chances he has to take. Fought hard throughout.
CM: Mikel Merino—7.1: Weak in his individual duels, winning just one of 11 on the ground, but his covering was good and he was strong in the air.
CM: Martín Zubimendi—6.9: Close to flawless in possession, although rather weak in duels.
CM: Eberechi Eze—6.1: Touched the ball 26 times in 64 minutes and needs to do more.
RW: Bukayo Saka—8.2: Massive source of danger and creativity.
ST: Gabriel Jesus—8.9: His first Champions League goals since November 2023, taken like a true poacher. If this is what he can do, Mikel Arteta has a selection headache.
LW: Leandro Trossard—7.4: Played an important role, which is becoming fairly typical for the Belgian. Smart positioning to make the second goal possible.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Ben White (64’ for Timber) | 6.1 |
| Declan Rice (64’ for Eze) | 6.5 |
| Viktor Gyökeres (75’ for Jesus) | 7.2 |
| (Gabriel (75’ for Mosquera) | 6.0 |
| Gabriel Martinelli (79’ for Trossard) | 6.6 |
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Tommy Setford (GK), Christian Nørgaard, Martin Ødegaard, Ethan Nwaneri, Noni Madueke.
Inter (3-5-2)
Starting XI: Yann Sommer; Manuel Akanji, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Nicolo Barella, Piotr Zieliński, Petar Sučić, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martínez.
Subs used: Davide Frattesi, Pio Esposito, Andy Diouf, Ange-Yoann Bonny
Player of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
Inter 1–3 Arsenal: How it Unfolded at San Siro
Already assured of at least a place in the knockout play-off round and with a Premier League clash against Manchester United to come at the weekend, Mikel Arteta heavily rotated his team for this game. There were seven chances to the team that drew against Nottingham Forest a few days ago, including the addition of Jesus to the lineup in place of Gyökeres.
The Brazilian might have come in as a backup, but the Gunners started well and he quickly staked his claim to command a more regular place ahead of the lacklustre Swede. Arsenal moved the ball sharply into the area, but just as it looked as though the move would break down, Jurriën Timber’s scuffed shot was instinctively turned into the net by Jesus.
The advantage was short-lived. With Inter breaking, Cristhian Mosquera superbly blocked the initial shot from Marcus Thuram, who managed to keep the ball alive. It deflected back into the path of Sučić on the edge of the box, making a sweet connection and bending the shot around Martín Zubimendi as the Spaniard attempted to close the chance down.
Inter ought to have gone ahead just under half an hour in. With Sučić charging forward on the break and Thuram pulling away to the right, the ball eventually made its way to the Inter No. 9, only for him to then blaze the effort over the bar.
That proved doubly costly for the hosts, because Arsenal then retook the lead as they best know how. The in-swinging corner from Bukayo Saka looped high towards the far post, nodded back across goal by Leandro Trossard, putting it on a plate for Jesus to touch in with his head.
Arsenal took a few minutes to gather themselves after the restart, but soon Eberechi Eze forced a save out of Yann Sommer, before Saka carved out a chance for Trossard that went wide. As the hour-mark came, Saka was then denied a certain goal by Alessandro Bastoni’s perfectly timed tackle.
Inter, still just a goal behind, threatened to make it a nervous finish for the Gunners to hold onto the lead, although Arteta’s side still looked more like scoring next when Saka fired one at Sommer.
That third goal eventually came with just six minutes of the 90 left, as Gyökeres—in a similar move to Inter’s earlier equaliser—lashed an effort from 20 yards into the top corner. There was an element of fortune after the initial pass from fellow sub Gabriel Martinelli didn’t quite find its way through, but Saka managed to poke it into his path and Swede duly obliged by wrapping his foot around the ball.
Inter vs. Arsenal Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Inter | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 48% | 52% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.66 | 1.60 |
| Total Shots | 9 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 2 |
| Passing Accuracy | 83% | 82% |
| Fouls Committed | 4 | 9 |
| Corners | 2 | 4 |
Inter vs. Arsenal Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Inter | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 51% | 49% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.33 | 2.12 |
| Total Shots | 18 | 17 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 6 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 3 |
| Passing Accuracy | 86% | 83% |
| Fouls Committed | 9 | 17 |
| Corners | 4 | 7 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Inter: Gunners Set Club Record in Champions League Win.
