Inter Milan’s last defeat came at the hands of Liverpool at the beginning of December, so they had an extra incentive to rectify that result with a finish in the top eight not yet secured.
Arsenal had other plans, despite their enviable stability at the summit of the Champions League standings heading into their trip to Italy.
Gabriel Jesus netted a first half brace, after starting his first Champions League game in more than a year due to his lengthy layoff with injury.
Petar Sucic responded to Jesus’ initial goal with a cannon into the roof of David Raya’s net, but Arsenal withstood any further Inter Milan threat.
Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to score Arsenal’s third of the night to send out a statement of just how far Arsenal are above some of Europe’s most feared outfits.
Here are four things we learnt from Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Inter Milan:
Bukayo Saka - energy replenished or energy expected
Arsenal’s captain did not start in the draw at Nottingham Forest, which was met by scrutiny by supporters given Saka’s effective stint when he did eventually enter proceedings.
However, giving Saka a rest could have been a wise move by Mikel Arteta. After all, the size of the squad permits.
He came flying out of the traps to pin Inter Milan’s defence back and wreaked havoc against Federico Dimarco.
Saka was involved in Arsenal’s last two goals when his accurately floated corner was diverted back across the face of goal by Leandro Trossard for Jesus to head home, and an inadvertent lay-off to Gyokeres.
The Italian side were at the mercy of Saka’s relentless wing play and ability to be unpredictable and agile to evade their attempts to impede him.
This not only occurred in glimmers, but pummelled Inter Milan time and time again.
Credit to giving Saka a rest or are these the standards Saka is setting in Europe irrespective of his supposed energy levels and feeling refreshed?
Cristhian Mosquera’s seamless defensive solidity
One unlikely name to feature on the teamsheets was the young Spaniard, whose last start came against Brentford in early December when he suffered an ankle injury.
He represents a host of beneficiaries from being in the shop window at the Under 21s European Championships, while his performances at centre-back with Valencia had attracted serious interest.
An initial fee of £13 million, though, now seems a bargain for The Gunners. That value only seems likely to increase and this has shades of the journeys of his centre-back colleagues at Arsenal.
The experienced striking partnership of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez work in tandem to disrupt defences, even the very best in Europe.
To be entrusted to fill the shoes of Gabriel Magalhaes clearly shows Mikel Arteta’s faith in Mosquera, despite Arsenal’s stable Champions League footing.
Gone are the days of incapable deputies and defensive fragility for Arsenal and welcome to a new dawn of Arsenal’s immediate and cover defence being among the elite in Europe.
Mosquera will be one to watch and his adaptability and athleticism to ward off Inter Milan’s strikers merits great attention.
Jesus and Gyokeres complement each other over the duration of Arsenal’s matches
The main takeaway heading back to North London for Arteta to consider will be who will lead the line in the critical home league clash against the reinvigorated Manchester United.
Since arriving, Viktor Gyokeres has been an enforced starter, just as much as a willingly chosen one by Arteta.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have suffered their respective injuries, but Jesus’ performance as a starter in Italy may have revealed more to Arteta about his significant role.
To displace Viktor Gyokeres entirely from his starting spot will be a tall order, but reversing the way Arteta goes about things could pay dividends across competitions.
Starter Jesus or finisher Jesus? The same question applies for Gyokeres. Both will also inevitably benefit from this internal competition.
Which way around they are deployed will likely be dependent on demands presented by the opposition.
When they do change, the defenders will crucially have something very different to contend with. That’s a rare advantage Arsenal may start to tap into more.
Arsenal were comfortable winners and felt like favourites in Milan
On the quest for their first Champions League trophy, their challengers in the league phase have been formidably swept aside. Their seventh match in Europe’s premier competition was no exception.
They applied the pressure early on in search of an opening goal. Their quality shone through and their capacity to score in different ways intimidated the experienced Italian defence.
In European games of this magnitude, Arsenal will have to weather the attacks of stellar attackers.
Meanwhile, perhaps to their advantage, the more expansive games come as a difference-maker to their chances of coming away with results as opposed to quite defensive setups they face in the Premier League.
Inter Milan were eager to reign victorious in their fortress, and increase their chances of repeating the feat of reaching the final in this competition.
So, Arsenal’s win over last term’s runners-up came as an initial surprise, but on reflection, the consensus is that Arsenal are asserting themselves as favourites to seriously progress far in Europe and give teams like Inter Milan a very competitive game.