Arsenal vs. AC Milan: 10 Moments That Drove Gunners Fans to Drink

Arsenal needed to accomplish the nearly impossible and they came within a single goal of pulling it off.  Down 4-0 from their disastrous first leg in Milan, the Gunners were written off by almost everyone.

Hope dawned when Laurent Koscielny headed home from a corner kick in the seventh minute.  It grew when, less than 20 minutes later, Tomas Rosicky placed his shot just inside the Milan post following a misplayed clearance from center back Thiago Silva.

Optimism became contagious just minutes before the half when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst into the box splitting a pair of Milan defenders.  As he was hauled down, the crowd roared for the penalty.  After a moment of reflection, the referee whistled and pointed to the spot.  Robin Van Persie took the ball and converted the penalty to make it 3-0.

At that moment, no one truly believed that Arsenal were done scoring for the day.  But they were, falling just a goal short of writing the most improbable comeback story.  Milan advanced to the next round on the 4-3 aggregate score.

Those are the things you'll see in the highlights.  But we're going deeper.  These are the 10 moments when an inch this way or an inch that way could have kept Arsenal alive in the Champions League.

Tomas Rosicky Squanders a Gift

As the first quarter hour passed, Tomas Rosicky latched on to a loose Milan backpass and found himself and Robin Van Persie attacking 2-vs-2 against the Milan center backs.

Rosicky played Van Persie too early.  Van Persie returned the ball behind Rosicky.  And as they dithered, the chance wilted.

Robin Van Persie Gets Denied

Just minutes after Rosicky and Van Persie neglected their first opportunity, RVP got another. 

Receiving a ball just at the top of the Milan box, the Dutch striker controlled and set himself for a shot on the first touch.  He fired it toward the upper corner at the near post with real venom, but Milan keeper Christian Abbiati anticipated the placement.

Abbiati dove to his right, pushed the ball around the post and Arsenal fans groaned.

Theo Walcott Zigs Instead of Zags

The bright first half was in the books and every Arsenal fan was wondering how many more the Gunners would notch in the second.

A counterattack in the 53rd minute looked promising when it landed on the foot of Theo Walcott at the right corner of the Milan penalty area.

Despite torching the left side of Milan's defense all day, Walcott declined to attack on his own.  He cut back to the center where defenders were arrayed in support.  A couple more touches and Walcott played a weak cross field pass in the direction of Gervinho that Milan easily cut out.

Christian Abbiati's Double Save

The other moments will be painful to Arsenal fans, but the 59th minute double save from Milan keeper Christian Abbiati is the stuff of nightmares.

When a rifle shot from Arsenal winger Gervinho took a deflection, it looked goal bound.  But a sprawling Abbiati managed to get his leg in the way.

The ball could not have fallen more beautifully for Robin Van Persie as he attacked the rebound five yards from goal.  RVP looked to lift the ball over the flailing keeper, but Abbiati got a glove up and kept out the chance that will haunt Gunners for years.

Wojciech Szczesny Tries to Give It All Away

Arsenal entered the last half hour still searching for that vital fourth goal.  That's when keeper Wojciech Szczesny, under no pressure, dribbled to the top of his box and tried to play a pass to Alex Song.

Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic pounced on the pass and immediately fired a shot at the retreating Szczesny.  All the Arsenal keeper could do was watch and pray as the ball sizzled just outside his right post.

No harm, no foul.  But Arsenal supporters surely took a quick shot to steady the nerves.

Walcott Gets in Behind...Almost

The 65th minute and Arsenal have possession just their side of midfield.  Theo Walcott darts into a quick diagonal run from right to left across the Milan line.  The long ball is played as the winger comes clear in behind.

The linesman doesn't hesitate, raising his flag immediately.  But Arsenal fans will watch the replay and wonder just what he was so certain about.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Substitution

After winning the first half penalty kick that Robin Van Persie converted, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had been dynamic for Arsenal.  So Gunner hearts would have sunk when they saw his number go up on the fourth officials board in red with fifteen minutes of the incomplete comeback left to play.

Oxlade-Chamberlain looked exhausted on his way off the field.  But when his replacement proved to be the little used Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal supporters had to wonder whether the tired youngster might not still be more effective than the fresh Moroccan.

Their fears would be realized as Chamakh's imprint on the match would be nil.

Antonio Nocerino Does His Part

If Arsenal had pulled off the comeback, fans should have pitched in to buy Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino something nice.  After all, when someone gives you a gift, it's nice to reciprocate.

In the 77th minute, Milan worked the ball neatly around the right side.  The move ended with a beautiful ball played in behind the Arsenal line to an arriving Nocerino.

Instead of simply side-footing the ball into the gaping net with his left foot and ending all the drama, the Milan man kept things sporting by playing off the outside of his right, directly to a grateful Wojciech Szczesny.

Theo Walcott Injury

If a portion of the wind left Arsenal's sails with the exit of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 75th minute, the rest of it deserted the home side five minutes later when a collision near midfield took Theo Walcott out of the game.

With Arsenal now robbed of the day's two most dangerous attacking players, the match effectively ended as Walcott hobbled off the pitch.

Alex Song Picks the Wrong Pass

Arsenal's last gasp came two minutes into added time.  The ball fell to Alex Song and the day's most promising counterattack was on.

The Gunners actually had a numerical advantage as five attackers flowed forward around Song.  The Cameroonian pushed ahead while surveying his options.  Then, despite better options left, right and center, played a lofted ball that found one of the outmanned Milan defenders.

Arsene Wenger fumed, Arsenal fans moved from glass to bottle, and the referee's final whistle sent them all home from the 2012 Champions League.