Arsenal vs. AC Milan: 10 Things We Learned from the Gunners' Win

Even though Arsenal beat AC Milan handily at the Emirates, the Gunners' 3-0 win is still a crushing blow.

There was such a palpable chance of Arsenal completing one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history that to leave the stadium so agonizingly close is nothing short of crushing for players and fans.

However, all is certainly not lost. Few expected the Gunners to actually pull off what would have been a miracle, and this Arsenal side actually beat one of the best teams in Europe 3-0.

Moving forward, there are both positives and negatives to take from this saddening victory. Here are 10 things we learned from Arsenal's defeat of AC Milan.

Wojciech Szczesny Is One of the Best Goalkeepers in the World

Against Liverpool last weekend, Wojciech Szczesny was the star of the show—or as big of a star as one can be when one plays with Robin van Persie.

Against Milan, too, the 21-year-old goalkeeper put on a great performance, making a number of admirable stops and getting the necessary bits of luck to keep a clean sheet when his defence deserted him.

Szczesny's maturity and refined play belie his years, and if he can keep up this rich vein of form, it will help catapult Arsenal to the top three in the Premier League.

Arsenal Don't (Always) Need Robin Van Persie to Score

If I were to tell you before the match that Arsenal would score three goals on AC Milan and Robin van Persie would not notch a single one from open play, you would have been stunned.

Yet this is exactly what happened in the Gunners' 3-0 victory. RvP chipped in with a dramatic penalty that eventually did not prove as crucial as many thought it would be at the time, but Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny added Arsenal's other two goals.

Whether the goals flow through other players that dictate the attack or even from defenders through set pieces, there are other avenues for Arsenal to score goals besides the immortal Dutch captain.

Robin van Persie Is Not Infallible

Even though Robin van Persie is almost immune to criticism due to his unbelievable goalscoring form and the degree to which he has put the team on his back this season, he did make one crucial mistake that just might have cost Arsenal the chance to progress.

After the rebound from Gervinho's saved attempt fell directly to the Dutchman's feet only a yard or so away from Christian Abbiati, van Persie decided to chip the keeper, rather than easily side-foot the ball into the side of the net and level the aggregate score at 4-4.

Captain Fantastic might not deserve to be criticized for such a mistake, but it is nevertheless worth noting that van Persie spurned what was by far the Gunners' best goalscoring chance of the second half.

Arsenal Still Have a Very Leaky Defence

Even though the scoreline says Arsenal kept Milan out of the goal, the Gunners just barely did so.

Numerous times, the home side's defence was breached, only for the superb Wojciech Szczesny to rush out and personally intervene.

Especially during the second half, the Italians looked the much likelier side to nick a goal, and the score could look quite different if Milan did not spurn numerous golden chances, the most notable of which being Stephan El Shaarawy's inexplicable shank just before halftime.

Since the Gunners did not look at all stable during the Liverpool match and the defence let in two quick goals against Tottenham, this is apparently still an area Arsene Wenger needs to work on.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Is One of the Worst Divers in the Game

It's not like we didn't know this already, but it's worth mentioning after this match what a disgrace Ibrahimovic is to fair play.

At the slightest of touches, even when he nicked his own heals, Ibra would crumple to the soft, cushy Emirates Stadium turf and writhe in agony until the referee is conned into awarding a free kick to Milan.

On several occasions the giant Swede went down like a ballerina, which made the frequent occasions when he failed to successfully play real football all the more amusing to the Arsenal faithful.

Arsenal Is One Step Away from Fielding a Youth Team

When the only two viable attacking substitutions available to the manager are Marouane Chamakh and Park Chu-Young, it truly shows you how utterly decimated by injuries this Arsenal team currently is.

The only other attacker Arsene Wenger could have thrust into the fire was 19-year-old Oguzhan Ozyakup, who has made a grand total of two senior substitute appearances in the Carling Cup for Arsenal.

With Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey all out simultaneously, there were literally no more options in the center of the park.

Perhaps this is why Arsenal could not make the final push for a crucial fourth goal, and why it would have been nice to have someone like Andrei Arshavin waiting on the bench to be used as a dynamic substitute.

Referees Continue to Be the Bane of Arsenal's Existence

Just about the only good thing that referee Damir Skomina did all night was award Arsenal an obvious penalty when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was sandwiched by two Milan defenders inside the penalty box.

Other than that, the official seemed fixated on breaking up play, issuing sill yellow cards, awarding needless free kicks and generally making himself the star of the show.

In no way am I insinuating Arsenal did not score their crucial fourth goal because of any refereeing decisions that were or were not made. However, it is worth pointing out that officials seem to have their worst games when Arsenal are involved.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Is a Force

Arsene Wenger was forced to move his prodigy to central midfield sooner in his development than the manager would have liked due to the fact that, well, there are no midfielders left.

However, luckily for Arsenal, the 18-year-old English assassin was a dominant force in the center of the pitch, making incisive runs, cuts,and passes throughout the 75 minutes he was on the pitch. Generally he was one of Arsenal's most dangerous players.

Unfortunately, he picked up a knock during the first few minutes of the second half, and he was just not able to shake its effects for the rest of the time he remained on the pitch. It was this loss of dynamism and quality that cost Arsenal crucial late chances.

Arsenal Can Be Knocked Around Very Easily

The Arsenal starting 11—and especially the bench—that was thrown at reigning Serie A champions AC Milan was weak mostly because of myriad injuries sustained during last weekend's match against Liverpool.

Again, Arsenal seemed to have players drop like flies during the match with assorted muscular problems, which greatly disrupted the flow of the Gunners' play both while the injured players were on the pitch and after their replacements entered the fray.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott went down in quick succession and attempted to carry on before their respective injuries forced them from the pitch in agony.

I am no medical professional, but I suspect the lightness of each player was a factor in their injuries, and the larger trend of consistent injury problems at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger's Ideas Are Possible

This two-legged Champions League tie was a tale of two opposite results of Arsene Wenger's philosophy.

Sometimes, his lightweight sides get shred by bigger teams, but on other occasions, Arsenal turn up with a resolve and determination that allows them to perfectly execute the manager's beliefs in aesthetically pleasing football.

The Gunners displayed great commitment to free, attacking football and were not afraid to press Milan early on and fight to achieve a target that many thought was impossibly out of reach.

Arsenal came close enough to pulling off a miracle to show that Wenger's philosophy and footballing ideas can work. That should inspire both players and fans to expect big things in the club's future.

Even though the team got knocked out of the Champions League, they still have beaten Tottenham, Liverpool and AC Milan consecutively. That is nothing but a harbinger of good things in Arsenal's future.