Inter Milan's unwavering defending earned them a fourth consecutive clean sheet in the Champions League, beating Arsenal in a contested 1-0 win.
The only goal of the game came from a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty in first-half stoppage time, securing Inter an important three points and taking them closer to a place in the knockout stages.
Simone Inzaghi's side, who boast eight wins in their last nine matches in all competitions, now occupy a solid position in the Champions League with 10 points.
The match started with Inter in the lead, with Denzel Dumfries almost opening the scoring in the second minute when his powerful shot deflected off the crossbar.
Inter's early momentum put the Arsenal defence under pressure, but the game soon settled down and became a tactical duel as Arsenal began to find their feet.
As half time approached, Inter's efforts finally bore fruit. After a corner, the ball deflected off Merino's hand into the penalty area, resulting in a penalty for Inter.
Calhanoglu converted it, putting Inter ahead shortly before the break. Arsenal pressed more aggressively in the second half, with Mikel Arteta scoring for Gabriel Jesus on Merino's goal.
The Gunners came close to levelling the scores early in the half. Arsenal created several chances, with Saliba missing a key chance after being left uncovered on a centering pass, while Jan Sommer kept out Inter's goal with decisive saves, including a crucial one by Havertz.
Inzaghi's tactical changes resulted in several key players being replaced, with Nicolo Barella, Markus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming on to maintain control and preserve the lead.
Although Arsenal dominated ball possession in the final minutes, they struggled to break down Inter's disciplined back line. Late in the game Dumfries almost increased Inter's lead on a rare counter attack, but his shot went wide. | BGNES