Inter 1-0 Arsenal: The verdict from the English and Italian press | OneFootball

Inter picked up their third consecutive win in the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Premier League hopefuls Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

While the English press focussed on Arsenal’s troubling run of form and off-pitch resignations after full-time, the Italian verdict focussed on Inter’s defensive prowess and their strength in depth.

Here is what the English and Italian papers had to say about Wednesday’s game.

Inter 1-0 Arsenal: The English verdict

The Guardian noted the resignation of Arsenal’s sporting director Edu less than two days before the Inter clash at San Siro, and how the problems ‘keep on mounting’ on Mikel Arteta. Arsenal were also without England international Declan Rice, Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori, while captain Martin Odegaard was only fit enough for a cameo off the bench.

Interestingly, the Guardian’s report suggested that Simone Inzaghi rested players like Mehdi Taremi against Venezia to prepare for Arsenal, rather than resting the likes of Marcus Thuram against Arsenal to prepare for Napoli at the weekend.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, suggested that the handball rule that punished Mikel Merino at the end of the first-half needs ‘evening up’, and that the interpretation of the law is ‘inconsistent’.

Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale scores his team’s first goal from the penalty-spot during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match against Arsenal FC at San Siro on November 06, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Italian verdict

La Gazzetta dello Sport pointed to the fact that the Nerazzurri have not yet conceded a goal in the Champions League, despite facing tough tests against Arsenal and Manchester City.

There was also praise for the fact that Inzaghi has done it with three different line-ups in the back three, rotating the likes of Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, Benjamin Pavard, Yann Aurel Bisseck and Stefan De Vrij.

Corriere dello Sport also focussed on the refereeing issues during Wednesday’s win over Arsenal, labelling VAR ‘a disaster’.