Arsenal's recent struggles continued losing 1–0 to Inter Milan in the Champions League.
The injury bug continues to plague the north London club coming into the game without Declan Rice. Mikel Arteta insisted it was a precaution to not have the England international travel. Club captain Martin Ødegaard returned to the squad, but only made a cameo toward the end of the match after Kai Havertz suffered a head injury.
The overarching numbers of the game show Arsenal created more than enough chances to win the game, yet it's a third loss in six games across all competitions failing to score in all three losses. Arsenal lacked the quality and final ball/touch in moments despite improving throughout the game in key phases.
Inter 1-0 Arsenal 📈
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 6, 2024
Arsenal suffered their third defeat across their last six games with a 1-0 UEFA Champions League loss against Internazionale.
Look back at the match via the Opta data with our Inter vs Arsenal stats page: https://t.co/e4KUJwpUN6 pic.twitter.com/A0KW7oQNZN
Arsenal had an xG (expected goals) of 1.8 to Inter's 1.16, per Opta. The Gunners registered 201 total shots to Inter's seven. The home side didn't even register a shot on target compared to Arsenal who had four. The lone goal came from a first-half stoppage time penalty from Hakan Çalhanoğlu beating David Raya from the spot. It was the first goal Arsenal conceded in the Champions League this season. Arteta felt the team was hard done by the penalty decision.
Arsenal took 16 shots inside the box yielding 20% accuracy forcing Yann Sommer into making just four saves. Inter's defensive trio of Yann Aurel Bisseck, Stefan de Vrij and Benjamin Pavard combined for six blocks and 28 clearances, per Fotmob.
Arteta's team might've dominated possession with 62.8%, yet it lost the ball in midfield 37 times throughout the match. Resigned to attacking wide and set pieces, most of the Gunners' best opportunities came from curling balls into the box from Bukayo Saka. The Gunners' best form attack from earlier this season couldn't yield results against a staunch defense.
A returning Ødegaard should help the team find its footing in the attacking third moving forward, but it remains to be seen how many minutes the Norwegian will be available for come Chelsea on the weekend.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Milan vs. Arsenal Stats: UCL Stats and Recap.
