Arsenal's recent defeat belies the true nature of their decline – and gives hope for a turnaround

Arsenal swapped St James' Park for San Siro but the result remained the same. Within a few days they lost to Newcastle and Internazionale. They have also lost education, and as the corridors of power become emptier, the number of setbacks increases.

Although they repeated their result in Newcastle on Saturday, it was a very special defeat. Arsenal were meek and rediscovered their resolve on Tyneside. After their worst performance of the season came one of the better ones. There is no prize for winning shots on goal and corners, but Arsenal enjoyed stunning triumphs of 5-1 and 13-0.

But they lost the game against Internazionale. Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty was part of a trilogy of misfortune for Mikel Merino; on the one hand denied a penalty, on the other hand innocently conceded a goal and was substituted at half-time, it was not a nice day for a Spaniard. Nor another's; Mikel Arteta has his own issues with referee Istvan Kovacs, receiving a yellow card and then a final warning for his assessment of the Hungarian's efforts.

Perhaps more interesting was Arteta's message to his own team. There are times when he can seem too cautious. However, not against the 2023 Champions League finalists and 2024 Scudetto winners. When Merino left at half-time, Arteta was left without midfielders – Martin Odegaard returned to the bench after twelve games, but only made a cameo in stoppage time, during his reappearance was offset by the loss of Declan Rice – so he took over the The handbrake was released, Gabriel Jesus came into play, Kai Havertz moved a little deeper and practically played a front five. When Thomas Partey looked lonely at times, when 4-3-3 could become 4-1-5, Arsenal forced Inter. The Serie A champions, to use the verb beloved of many Italian managers, suffered. They did it, with Yann Bisseck and Denzel Dumfries standing out, their determination and focus underlining why only they and Atalanta were able to keep a clean sheet in the Champions League this season.

Arsenal's hard-hearted efforts suggested they had passed a test of character, but they were in vain. Dumfries cleared Mehdi Taremi's header off the line, saving the striker an own goal. Havertz was able to fend off a curler from Yann Sommer and deflect a shot from Bisseck past the goal. Arsenal may have lacked a moment of class or ingenuity, perhaps something a fully equipped Odegaard could have provided, but not the application. They camped out in Inter's half.

Maybe it changed the mood, if not the outcome. In a group context, Arsenal may not need the balance they are seeking here. However, as part of their week, they needed an answer.

They got one when the early signs were worrying. They began with the sound coming from the San Siro stands and the first energy coming from Simone Inzaghi's side on the pitch. Dumfries hit the underside of the crossbar after 100 seconds and Calhanoglu shot just wide after 150 seconds. Welcome to Milan.

And yet Arsenal wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka made their first appearances as they grew into the game. Inter had played significantly more passes, but Arsenal initially equalized and then moved past the hosts, so that in the end they had 60 percent of the ball. Which in turn doesn't change the placement.

The temptation for Arsenal would be to view it as a two-way game. First, Merino was unceremoniously denied by Sommer when he headed Martinelli's tempting cross just wide of the goal. No penalty was awarded. Then Teremi volleyed the ball into Merino's hand, the Spaniard was too close to react. Shortly before half-time a different decision was made and Calhanoglu let the ball pass David Raya.

And if Inter spent most of the rest of the game on defense, the result was vindication. They already faced the two best players in the Premier League last season, drawing with champions Manchester City and beating Arsenal at home. What is remarkable is that each of them played with a seemingly weakened team.

If the new Champions League format was intended to prevent managers confident of qualification from fielding weakened teams, the presence of Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco and Marcus Thuram on the Inter bench suggested Sunday's top-flight clash against Napoli became more important for Simone Inzaghi. Nevertheless, Inzaghi can produce outstanding performances in his team; His decisions were once again vindicated and now the Champions League table, which shows Inter in fifth place, looks healthy for them.

For Arsenal, a first defeat in the competition is one of several defeats this year. About two decades ago, Edu was the scorer in the Invincibles' 5-1 semi-final win over Inter at San Siro. Once again Arsenal conceded a goal; This time they didn't get the five. But even if they couldn't take a point back from Italy, they could at least come back with some proof of their tenacity.