San Sorrow: Milan shame Wenger flops
AC MILAN 4 vs ARSENAL 0
A SHELL-SHOCKED Arsene Wenger admitted last night’s Champions League humiliation at the hands of a rampant AC Milan represented the most embarrassing European night of his 15-year reign as Arsenal manager.
Wenger returned to the San Siro confident of completing a personal hat-trick of victories at one of Italian football’s most iconic venues, but left with his reputation, and that of his side, in tatters.
A Kevin Prince Boateng volley, a Robinho brace and a Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty accurately reflected Milan’s supremacy and provided Wenger with ultimate confirmation of just how far Arsenal’s stock has fallen.
“It was of those nights you never forget. It is our worst night in Europe, we were punished and deservedly so,” the Frenchman (inset) conceded. “We were very poor offensively and defensively. We were beaten everywhere.
“There was not one moment in the 90 minutes we were really in the game. What made it worse is that we had to chase the game. It was always the same problem, balls over the top and we were well beaten.”
As if to rub salt into what are gaping wounds it was former Tottenham player Boateng who triggered Arsenal’s slide towards disaster in the 15th minute.
The Ghanaian appeared an unlikely scorer, even though Antonio Nocerino’s pass found him an ocean of space, but a thumping volley from a tight angle left Wojciech Szczesny helpless.
Robinho doubled the lead seven minutes before the break with a neat header from Ibrahimovic’s cross and the former Manchester City forward killed the tie four minutes after the interval with a precise low shot.
Ibrahimovic, who had been a torturer throughout, got the goal his performance merited 11 minutes from time when he battered a penalty past Szczesny.
Defeat represented an unfitting conclusion to Thierry Henry’s emotional return – the 34-year-old will now head back to parent club New York Red Bulls – which ends with Arsenal staring at a last 16 exit for the second year in a row.
“We don’t play in dream world. Realistically, we are out of the competition,” added Wenger. “We have a lot of work to regroup.”