Arsenal are now sure of a place in the top two.
Mikel Arteta hailed his Arsenal side for going to another level in their 3-1 Champions League win over Inter Milan at San Siro, which secured a top-two finish in the league phase.
Already sure of a place in the top eight after Manchester City’s stunning loss to Bodo/Glimt earlier on Tuesday, Arsenal produced a hugely impressive performance against the Nerazzurri to make it seven wins from seven in this season’s Champions League, the club’s longest such run in the competition.
Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the 10th minute before Petar Sucic hit a sublime leveller eight minutes later.
Jesus restored Arsenal’s advantage shortly after the half-hour mark, before Viktor Gyokeres’ curling effort six minutes from the end of normal time secured a result that means the Gunners will play home second legs throughout the knockout rounds.
Arteta praises Arsenal and ‘unbelievable’ Jesus
Speaking to Amazon Prime Video Sport after the game, Arteta said: “I’m very proud of the team. We said before the game, we needed a special performance and we’ve certainly done that today.
“We went to another level and to do it at the San Siro against one of the best teams in Europe is something else.”
Arteta reserved special praise for Jesus, who only returned from an ACL injury last month after 11 months on the sideline.
“There’s an unbelievable player and the bigger the game, the more comfortable he plays. He deserves the man of the match award,” Arteta added.
With Jesus excelling and Gyokeres also on the scoresheet, Arteta appears to have a selection headache ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Jesus’ start at San Siro was his first since his return from injury, though he gave a diplomatic answer when asked about the competition for places in attack.
“Everyone wants to start,” Jesus said. “I am a very respectful guy. I am not a kid anymore, I am 28, so I understand football.
“I am very happy Vik came on and scored a goal. I am so happy I scored and Vik scored. I am confident Kai [Havertz] will score when he gets the chance.”
