DIVING DANNY’S SPOT PRIZE
Gunners rout Milan after soft penalty
PERHAPS Arsene Wenger knew more than he was letting on when he addressed the issue of diving last month.
‘English players have learned very quickly and might be the masters now,’ said Wenger, tempted into the debate raging around Dele Alli’s habit of falling inside the penalty area.
Last night, Arsenal reached the last eight of the Europa League thanks in no small part to the tumbling skills of Danny Welbeck and a decision which launched Rino Gattuso and several of his AC Milan players through the spectrum of rage.
Gattuso was still seething at half-time, unable to resist the urge to hound referee Jonas Eriksson down the tunnel having seen his team take the lead on the night with a sweet strike by Hakan Calhanoglu.
No sooner were the Italians back in the tie, however, than Welbeck darted into the penalty area at the other end, collected a pass from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, searched for contact from full-back Ricardo Rodriguez and went to ground.
Eriksson seemed prepared to ignore the appeals of the crowd, only to be change his mind on the advice of one of his additional assistants. Stefan Johannesson had been standing beside the goal when Welbeck fell at his feet.
No-one in the ground could have had a better view and yet there was no evidence of any contact as the incident was replayed on TV. If anything Welbeck seemed to trip himself in his desperation to throw back a leg in search of Rodriguez.
The striker was back on his feet to convert from the spot and Granit Xhaka extended the aggregate lead in the second half with a shot which should have been saved, but was feebly pushed into the net by Milan’s highly-rated goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Welbeck made it 3-1 on the night with a close-range header late on.
For all the pre-match warnings about complacency, Arsenal were nearly caught napping inside the opening minute. Milan sliced between left back Nacho Monreal and centre half Laurent Koscielny to present Andre Silva with a terrific chance at the near post.
Silva swept it wastefully into the side-netting and a ripple of anxiety went around the stadium, reviving unwanted memories among those who witnessed the awful start to the previous Europa League match at the Emirates.
On that occasion, Arsenal were 2-0 down to Ostersunds within 23 minutes and a comfortable three-goal lead from the away leg was under threat. Wenger blamed the first-leg cushion and perceived lack of threat. Milan, surely, were from a different level.
The Italians are not the force they were but their European pedigree commands respect. Manager Gattuso hopped restlessly around his technical area, becoming increasingly red in the face.
He knew the first goal would be vital and perhaps detected fortune tilting in his favour when Arsenal lost their captain early in the game. Koscielny jarred his back while contesting an early corner kick in the Milan box and, although he tried to shake off the pain, he was unable to continue.
Calum Chambers came on and Jack Wilshere, newly restored to the England squad, pulled on the armband. But things got worse before they got any better.
Ten minutes before half-time, Calhanoglu was allowed the time and space to unleash a fierce drive from 25 yards which wobbled and faded beyond the reach of David Ospina and inside the far post.
Arsenal were jolted into life. They moved the ball quicker and made an effort to get inside the Milan penalty box. Once there, they accepted a helping hand from the officials and drew level.
It was Welbeck’s first European goal since October 2014, when he scored a hat-trick in the Champions League against Galatasaray in his fifth appearance for Arsenal. Donnarumma saved from Wilshere before Milan responded, with pressure on Ospina’s goal and pressure on referee Eriksson to
compensate for the penalty call. An appeal for hand ball against Chambers was waved away, as was one for a foul by Hector Bellerin.
When Suso was booked for diving in the second half, eyes turned to Gattuso in case he exploded.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ospina 6; Bellerin 6.5, Mustafi 6, Koscielny (Chambers 11min, 6), Monreal 6; Ramsey 7, Xhaka 6; Ozil 6 (Kolasinac 79), WILSHERE 7.5, Mkhitaryan 6.5 (Elneny 69, 6); Welbeck 6.5. Subs not used: Cech, Iwobi, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah. Scorers: Welbeck 39 pen, 86, Xhaka 71. Booked: Monreal. Manager: Arsene Wenger 6.5. AC MILAN (4-4-2): G Donnarumma 5; Borini 6, Bonucci 6, Romagnoli 6, Rodriguez 6; Suso 6.5, Kessie 6 (Locatelli 79), Montolivo 6.5, Calhanoglu 7 (Bonaventura 70, 6); Cutrone 6.5 (Kalinic 67, 6), Silva 6. Subs not used: Storari, Biglia, Zapata, Musacchio. Scorer: Calhanoglu 35. Booked: G Donnarumma, Romagnoli, Borini, Calhanoglu, Suso. Manager: Rino Gattuso 6. Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) 5. Attendance: 58,973.