Arsenal vs. AC Milan: Forget the Defeat, Arsenal Have Truly Turned a Corner

Today, we laid witness to an absolutely riveting match.

AC Milan visited Arsenal at The Emirates, confident of going through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League comfortably. Boy, were the proved wrong. 

From the blow of the whistle, Arsenal looked like a team with a purpose. They pressed forward and seemed to be at least two yards in front of a lackluster Milan side. 

Laurent Koscielny opened the scoring to give Arsenal the edge and much-needed hope when he left his marker, Mark van Bommell, in the dust to head in a crucial goal. 

And when Tomas Rosicky scored in the 26th minute, all hopes were kindled for the Arsenal faithful. 

A marauding run by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain led to a penalty, which a poised Robin van Persie converted in spectacular fashion. 

As Stephen El Shaarwi missed a great opportunity in the 43rd minute for Milan, it looked that perhaps Lady Luck was very much on Arsenal's side. 

Arsenal had another great goal-scoring opportunity, but a fantastic double save by Milan captain Christian Abbiati hindered the home side from leveling. 

A fantastic save by Wojciech Szczesny to deny Antonio Nocerino in the 76th minute suggested perhaps a magical night was still in tore for Arsenal. 

Unfortunately, it was not to be. 

Milan regrouped and controlled the latter half of the proceedings, eventually progressing to the quarterfinals on an aggregate score of four goals to three.

As we let dust settle around this game and let Robin van Persie rue that glorious chance he had, I would like to take your focus to one aspect of Arsenal: They have truly turned a corner. 

I was still in doubt after their emphatic win against Chelsea. Moreover, the humiliating defeat by AC Milan at the San Siro, which had capped off a miserable run by the gunners after the New Year hinted that there was still much to be done. 

Nevertheless, Arsenal displayed a lot of class and character and stepped up their game today. 

The defence looks magical with Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelan at the center. Bacary Sagna has been a blessing. The left-back position definitely needs to be bolstered though. 

The midfield also plays as a unit these days. Had Mikel Arteta been present today, the outcome might have been different. There was a lack of quality on the bench, and his absence highlighted that.

Nevertheless, the phenomenal Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has taken the EPL by storm, and he will continuously improve. 

I probably don't have to talk about Robin van Persie though. 

It was reminiscent of the game against Tottenham: despite being two goals down, Arsenal sealed off an emphatic win against the Spurs. 

Similarly, against Liverpool last week, Arsenal showed resilience and won, despite being outclassed and outplayed the entire game. 

These games showcase how Arsenal have worked towards gaining that "invincible" status once again. 

Yes, there are odd defeats here and there, but these games, coupled with the level of morale and integration in the dressing room, display that the Gunners are on the road to recovery. 

After a shambolic start, Arsenal sit pretty at forth position ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool. Though the Premier League title might be out of reach, third place is not. 

The return of Jack Wilshere for next season makes Arsenal's prospects much brighter, as well.

It really does look as if the Arsenal of old are back.