Arsenal's defence all at sea in Champions League thumping

For Arsenal, here was the evidence of how far they have fallen behind Europe's elite. Arsène Wenger's team were out-passed, out-thought and, ultimately, outclassed. They are almost certainly out of the competition and even in a season when they have encountered so much turmoil it was staggering to see the deterioration of this team.

A side with this many deficiencies cannot hope to find oxygen in the Champions League. Arsenal did not manage a shot on target until the 66th minute and, by that point, they were three goals down. They were dishevelled to the point Milan should have turned it into an even more harrowing ordeal. Arrigo Sacchi, the former Milan coach, had told Gazzetta dello Sport this was "the worst Arsenal side in 10 years", and Wenger, usually so protective of his team, was unsparing in his condemnation. Arsenal's manager used words such as "shocking" and "disaster". He summed it up as "one of those nights you will never forget".

His team had barely been recognisable from the side that won here so thrillingly in 2008. They lost their nerve as soon as Kevin-Prince Boateng lashed in the opening goal and, by the end, it was difficult to identify a single redeeming feature. Their passing lacked accuracy, they did not close down the ball, their defending was atrocious. Sacchi's assessment felt brutally close to the truth on a night when Milan were superior in every department.

This was the evening when Robinho reminded us why Manchester City once made him the most expensive footballer in Britain, an elusive opponent contributing a goal either side of half-time. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was even more impressive, as though affronted by the accusation that he sometimes vanishes at this stage of the competition. This was a footballer at the point of maximum expression and it was his penalty that made it 4-0 and extinguished any faint hopes of Arsenal turning the tie upside down in the return leg on 6 March. "We don't live in dream world," Wenger said. "We may have a 2% chance, or 5%, but realistically we are out."

It was a terrible way for Thierry Henry, brought on at half-time, to end his loan spell from New York Red Bulls, and it is tempting to wonder whether these are the moments that will prey on Robin van Persie's mind when he comes to deciding his future. A player of Van Persie's ability is entitled to want a team that have realistic aspirations of success. Arsenal are 17 points adrift in the Premier League and maybe even further away in Europe. The restoration work will take years on the evidence of this humiliation.

For the first 10 minutes they knocked the ball around nicely, demonstrating some of the calm that is needed when the volume is cranked up and the curva sud is holding up a banner that reads "7 Coppe Dei Campioni". But the way Arsenal wilted after Boateng's goal revealed a team with fragile self-belief. Rarely has Thomas Vermaelen looked so susceptible, partly to blame for two of the goals. Theo Walcott was so ineffective he was removed at half-time. Van Persie was isolated in attack, frustrated by the lack of support. Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey looked one-paced and, as if things could get any worse, Arsenal also lost Laurent Koscielny to a knee injury in the first half.

Milan had lost their captain, Clarence Seedorf, even earlier but were tremendous from the moment, after 15 minutes, when Antonio Nocerino chipped a ball into the path of Boateng and he struck his volley so sumptuously it felt like a trick of the mind to remember the player who had been so forgettable during his brief spell at Tottenham Hotspur. Boateng was at an angle when it was audacious even to try to beat Wojciech Szczesny. It was not quite Marco van Basten territory, but the force of the shot was similar. It was an extraordinary goal, flying in off the underside of the crossbar. From then onwards, Arsenal simply capitulated.

Even before Robinho headed in the second goal there was the clear sense of a team hanging on. One slip from Vermaelen left Robinho running clear, with Ibrahimovic in support, only to lose his balance and allow Koscielny to make a saving interception. Then Ibrahimovic found space on the left flank and advanced purposefully before rolling the ball under his foot and casually picking out Robinho inside the six-yard area. The Brazilian angled his header into the far corner.

It was another Vermaelen slip that allowed Robinho to turn in the third four minutes into the second half, thumping his shot into the bottom corner after Ibrahimovic's sideways pass had actually been marginally over-hit.

Then the substitute Johan Djourou brought down Ibrahimovic and his penalty completed a night Wenger, visibly suffering, described as "our worst ever in Europe".

Source: Daniel Taylor, The Guardian on 15 Feb 12