Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 21 January 2026 16:30, UK

Arsenal continued their perfect record in this season’s Champions League when they beat last season’s finalists, Inter Milan, at San Siro on Tuesday.

A brace from Gabriel Jesus helped Arsenal beat Inter 3-1, guaranteeing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League and leaving them needing just a draw against Kairat Almaty to secure first place in the league stage.

The Brazilian’s early goal was cancelled out by the brilliant strike of Petar Sucic, but he added a second before the break, with Viktor Gyokeres curling in a lovely finish late on to seal the three points.

It was a frustrating weekend for Mikel Arteta, after Arsenal drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest and missed out on a chance to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.

But the Spaniard would have been delighted by his team’s performance on Tuesday, with confidence levels presumably restored ahead of the visit of Man United on Sunday.

Cristhian Mosquera criticised by Italian media

Cristhian Mosquera has spent more than a month out injured after suffering an issue in December’s win over Brentford.

The defender has been massively impressive since arriving from Valencia in the summer, and his absence was felt especially hard due to the other injuries in the squad at the time.

William Saliba, Gabriel and Ben White all suffered problems around the same time, leaving Arteta with a defensive crisis.

But against Nottingham Forest, Mosquera returned to the bench, and against Inter, he returned to the starting line-up.

Last week, Arteta had claimed that the Spaniard was still some weeks away from returning, but despite being clearly ahead of schedule, there was no sign of uncertainty from the 21-year-old.

Faced up against the phenomenal duo of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, Mosquera stood tall and represented a combative force.

However, Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport disagreed. They rated the defender just a 5.5 out of 10 – the worst of any Arsenal player.

“He struggled in the one-on-one,” the paper published. “Just as Pio [Francesco Esposito] is invited to the banquet, Arteta takes him off.”

The stats that prove Mosquera did not struggle

Martinez and Thuram have scored 26 goals between them across all competitions this season. The pair are considered among the most dangerous pairings in Europe, but they were powerless on Tuesday.

Up against Mosquera and Saliba, they managed just one shot on target, with Martinez ultimately forced to resort to weak attempts to win a penalty.

Only did Inter score when the ball fell to their midfielder on the edge of the box, after Mosquera had denied Thuram with a crunching tackle.

The 21-year-old recorded four tackles, three blocks and five recoveries on the night, while completing nearly all of his passes too.

It is true that Francesco Eposito held off Mosquera to produce a good shot in the second half, but the Spaniard’s withdrawal was undoubtedly related to his return from injury, rather than any struggles.

This was a superb night for the young defender, and his return will serve as a critical boost for both his manager and his team.