Gabriel Jesus rose to the occasion at San Siro as Arsenal extended their record-breaking UEFA Champions League run, claiming a seventh straight victory with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan to seal automatic qualification for the round of 16, Softfotball reports.
Having spoken confidently before kick-off about being ready for the challenge Inter would pose, Jesus backed up his words in emphatic fashion. Arsenal, already assured of progression following Manchester City’s earlier shock defeat to Bodø/Glimt, showed no signs of easing off and started on the front foot. Their dominance was rewarded inside 10 minutes when a flowing team move ended with Jurriën Timber’s miscued effort falling kindly for Jesus, who slid in to convert from close range.
Inter responded swiftly. Capitalising on a loose ball after efforts from Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella were blocked, Petar Sučić rifled a superb strike beyond David Raya to restore parity. The equaliser briefly unsettled Mikel Arteta’s side, and Inter sensed an opening, with Thuram wasting a glorious chance on the break by firing over the bar.
That miss proved costly. Arsenal regained control before the interval as Bukayo Saka’s corner was flicked back across goal by Leandro Trossard, allowing Jesus to nod home from inside the six-yard box. It was a fitting moment for the Brazilian, who once again delivered on the biggest stage after promising pre-match that Arsenal were ready for the battle in Milan.
The visitors continued to dictate the tempo after the restart, forcing Yann Sommer into action to deny Eberechi Eze, while Trossard narrowly missed the target with a rasping volley. Inter attempted to inject fresh energy through substitute Pio Esposito, who went close when he fired just wide after latching onto Luis Henrique’s pass.
Any lingering doubt was removed late on as Arsenal struck a decisive third. Viktor Gyökeres capped an excellent all-round performance by exchanging passes with Saka before finishing clinically, following Gabriel Martinelli’s superb long ball forward.
The result confirms Arsenal’s perfect record of seven wins from seven in this season’s Champions League, guaranteeing them a top-two finish in the league phase and a place in the last 16. It also stretches their unbeaten run across all competitions to 12 matches. Crucially, the victory allows the Gunners to move on from their frustrating league draw with Nottingham Forest, which had briefly stalled their momentum at the top of the Premier League table.
After the game, Arsenal shared via its official X handle, that the club has achieved an historic moment as they have now won seven straight UCL games for the very first time in the club’s history. They posted:
For Inter, the defeat leaves their top-eight hopes hanging by a thread, as they slump to a third consecutive Champions League loss for the first time since 2011.
