Last night was billed as a triumph of youth over experience, but I think that Wenger has built a side that has both of these qualities, and that factor coupled with Wenger’s brilliance has given Arsenal a third famous win in Europe in as many years. While before in Turin and Madrid we did have the semblance of seasoned players such as Henry, Pires, Ljungberg and Campbell, this victory was achieved entirely by Arsene’s third generation team, and from last nights performance every other team in world football can be fearful of how good this side could be.
It could have been four. That is quite a statement to make about a game with the current European champions on their own patch, and it is even more shocking when it is completely and utterly true. The first fifteen minutes were unsurprisingly edgy and tense, Arsenal having the front foot, then Milan making a counter attack, only for Arsenal to do the same, but despite the franctic energy of the opening minutes, only one really clear cut opportunity was made, with a Milan corner deflected goalwards before Fabregas, on the line, kicked the ball clear of danger.
Milan then had their best period of possession in the whole game for five minutes, but there were only glimpses of chances for Inzaghi and Pato, although the Brazilian starlets chance was perhaps better than his attempt at converting it suggested it was.
And then it was Arsenal’s turn to shine. Fabregas, Hleb and Flamini ran the show from then on, passing around the masters of such football in a way which was almost humiliating for the home side. And just after the half hour mark in the game, Arsenal’s probing pressure brought about a clear cut chance. Adebayor’s tireless running made the chance, cutting inside three Milan players and squaring to Fabregas, whose powerful swerving strike could only rebaound off the bar. Milan did try and counter throughout the Gunners’ spell of pressure, but as soon as Kaka got the ball Flamini or Fabregas would be right next to him, coming in with a decisive challenge to end the playmakers immediate threat.
Arsenal did not get the goal they wanted and looked like they needed before half time, but quick out of the blocks they looked to correct this detail in the opening minutes of the second half, creating two massive chances that agin Arsenal failed to convert. The first fell to Senderos at the back post from a corner, somehow failing to direct the ball past Kalac from six yards out. Then it was Eboue’s turn to miss a gilt edged chance, being played through brilliantly after lovely build up play, before the Ivorian blasting the ball wastefully wide with just the keeper to beat.
With twenty minutes left, Wenger through on Walcott in a do or die move for Arsenal, and it seemed to do the trick. The diminutive Englishman was amongst the action pretty soon, getting the ball from a fantastic Hleb throughball, but was just unable to lay the ball off to Gallas for what would have been an easy tap-in had Kalac not jumped on the ball to intercept a certain goal.
But with five minutes left we finally got what the players so clearly deserved: A goal. And when it came, it could not have fallen to a more deserving player, as Cesc Fabregas let fly from 30 yards to grab a vital goal. And when Walcott raced away and beat the Milan defence for pace before laying off a beautiful ball for Adebayor to get his first Champions League goal, it was no less than Arsenal deserved.
