Champions League: Arsenal 3-0 AC Milan (3-4 Agg.) – Gunners Flirt With Glory But Fail To Overcome The Odds (Photos & Highlights)

Chris Wright

7th, March 2012

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By Chris Wright

Almost. Almost. With a four-goal swing to overturn from the first leg in Milan, Arsenal scored three first-half goals (Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and a Robin Van Persie penalty) at the Emirates last night to bring themselves to the brink of the improbable though, with AC Milan erratic and chaotic after an hour on the ropes, the Gunners were unable to land that crucial killer blow before their ailing opponent’s began to regain a foothold. As Arsene Wenger said after the game, they ‘touched qualification.’

Arsenal then lost Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (who excelled in a Yaya Toure-esque central role) to a hamstring injury with 25 minutes left before a terrific sprawling Christian Abbiati double save prevented both Gervinho’s deflected shot and Van Persie’s close-range follow-up from breaching his goal-line, following which Milan finally got their act together and closed out the game to book a berth in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA