Arsenal 3 AC Milan 0 (agg 3-4): So close to a miracle but Gunners can't clinch quarter-final place

Once again they gave us our money’s worth. Don’t they always? Once again they raised our heartbeats to a gallop. This time, though, Arsenal failed. Just. They could not atone for the sins of the San Siro.

Arsene Wenger’s remarkable, flawed football team have now scored 15 times in their last three games at the Emirates. No wonder the people keep coming.

Here, though, the 16th goal of this remarkable sequence — the one that would have taken this tie to extra time — eluded them. There was to be no miracle.

Game over: Arsenal's brave challenge ended in failure at the Emirates

MATCH FACTS 

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Rosicky, Song, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Chamakh, 75) , Walcott (Park Chu-Young, 84), Van Persie, Gervinho. Subs not used: Fabianski, Djourou, Jenkinson, Miquel, Ozyakup.

Booked: Sagna, Gibbs, Song. 

Scorers: Koscielny 7, Rosicky 26, Van Persie 43.

AC Milan: Abbiati, Abate, Mexes, Thiago Silva, Mesbah (Bonera, 89), Nocerino, Van Bommel, Emanuelson, Ibrahimovic, Robinho, El Shaarawi (Aquilani, 70). Subs not used: Amelia, Zambrotta, Ganz, Yepes, Roma.

Booked: Van Bommel, Abate, Nocerino, Ibrahimovic.

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia) .

Attendance: 59,000.

Four down from a dismal first leg in Italy,  Arsenal needed something special. Goals in the first half from Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and, of course, Robin van Persie ensured that, with 45 minutes remaining, they had every chance of producing it.

Sadly, though, the final act lacked romance. The second half failed to produce another goal and Arsenal are out of the Champions League.

Most unusually, Van Persie — the only consistently bright light of Arsenal’s murky season — will have cause for regret today. Just before the hour last night the Dutchman was presented with a simple chance to draw Arsenal level in the tie after Gervinho’s deflected shot came back to him from the goalkeeper’s legs.

This time, though, he couldn’t score.

His dink from seven yards was repelled by Christian Abbiati’s  flailing, desperate arm and  Arsenal’s only real opportunity of the second half had gone. Should Van Persie — the most cultured of footballers — just have put his foot hard through the back of the ball? Probably.

Heads up: Koscielny nods the Gunners in front after just seven minutes (and below)

 

Had Arsenal scored at that stage, they surely would have gone on to win. Milan, so dreadful in the first half, would surely have been sunk.

As it was, Milan managed to shed some of the impotency of the  opening period to go on to play quite well. Having clearly decided that the best way to stem the tide was to try and score a goal of their own, the Italians were actually the better team in the second half.

What a night this was, though. What a tribute to Wenger’s remarkable powers of motivation that his team came so close. At two down here to Tottenham only 10 days ago, Arsenal’s season seemed over. Since then they have scored 10 times.

Brief hope: Arsenal came very close to overturning the 4-0 deficit - Rosicky doubled the hosts' lead

 

Arsenal needed to start well, needed to cause their opponents that flutter of anxiety that comes with early pressure. In the seventh minute the Gunners had the lead and Milan were looking at each other like strangers.

The goal was a frightful moment for the away side, one of many  in the first half. Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain — impressive in bursts — took a corner from the left and Koscielny drifted unchecked across at least two Milan defenders to head down into the goal from seven yards out.

On the touchline, Wenger was only moderately excited. He knew how far his team still had to go.
Crucially, though, Milan looked as anxious as Arsenal looked carefree. Coming in to the game with such a big lead, the Italians didn’t know whether to stick or twist. For long spells, they did neither.

Van the man: Arsenal's leading goalscorer made it three for the Gunners from the spot (and below)

 

Arsenal, sensing their opponents’ hesitancy, kept pressing. Van Persie and Rosicky should have carved out a chance when presented with possession in the 16th minute. Their failure to make the right passing choices was surprising but ultimately didn’t matter as before too long Arsenal were two up and the chase was really on.

This time the danger came from the right as Theo Walcott reached the byline. His low cross really shouldn’t have troubled the esteemed Brazilian defender Thiago Silva but his clearance was weak and landed straight at Rosicky’s feet. A second later the ball was in the bottom corner. 

Milan were so poor — as bad as Arsenal had been in the San Siro — that they were already looking frantically for half-time. Time to reorganise and draw breath. They weren’t to get there without further  damage, though.

Starring role: Oxlade-Chamberlain was in fine form for Arsene's Gunners

 

Oxlade-Chamberlain drove down the right in the 44th minute and was sandwiched by Djamel Mesbah and Antonio Nocerino as he cut devilishly into the penalty area. Van Persie scored the resulting penalty emphatically with his left foot and it was hard now not to make Arsenal favourites.

Shell-shocked by what had happened, Milan managed to break in first-half injury time and Robinho played Stephan El Shaarawy clear on goal. Had he scored then Arsenal would have needed another three to progress. The shot, though, was so bad it didn’t even strike the side-netting. It summed up Milan’s efforts.

In the second half, however, Arsenal struggled to maintain their remarkable momentum and Milan — perhaps reminded of their responsibilities by coach Massimiliano Allegri — found a little of their true selves.

Incredible miss: Van Persie squandered a guilt-edged chance to make it 4-0

Robinho played in Zlatan Ibrahimovic only for Wojciech Szczesny to save at his feet and then Urby Emanuelson curled a free-kick over the bar. Soon came Van Persie’s chance. Abbiati will reflect on a terrific double save. Van Persie, though, will be extremely disappointed.

Arsenal’s night fell flat after that. Their legs couldn’t propel them to the ultimate glory and — in truth — Milan looked the more likely scorers in the final 30 minutes.

Behind the goal at one end, an Arsenal fan held a banner aloft from first minute to last. It said simply: ‘We Believe’.

In the end, belief wasn’t quite enough. The mountain proved too high. This, though, was some effort.