Europa League

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Europa League | Round of 16

Mar 15, 2018 at 8.05pm UK

Arsenal
3-1
AC Milan

Welbeck (39' pen., 86'), Xhaka (71')

FT(HT: 1-1)

Calhanoglu (35')

Arsene Wenger: 'Arsenal must improve defensively'

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 15 March 2018

Arsene Wenger is pleased with Arsenal for triumphing over AC Milan in the Europa League but admits that the Gunners "have to improve defensively".

Arsene Wenger has praised his Arsenal charges for triumphing over AC Milan in the Europa League but admitted that the defence needs improvement.

The Gunners led 2-0 from the first leg of the last-16 tie but fell behind on 35 minutes of the return game at the Emirates Stadium through Hakan Calhanoglu's long-range strike.

Danny Welbeck drew Arsenal level four minutes later via a controversial penalty and added a second four minutes from time, both goals coming either side of Granit Xhaka's lucky effort.

The result saw the North Londoners win 3-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate, and Wenger was pleased to see his side respond to criticism from earlier in the campaign.

"It's much better, we needed that to recover from our results," the Frenchman told BT Sport. "It shows how the team has responded. We had a difficult game but in the end we won it.

"It was an open game. We played backwards a bit too much in the first half to protect the result. We played a very good side.

"We have to improve defensively, but overall we are team with technical quality which is more offense-minded.

"We struggle a bit more when we have to defend. We finished the game more compact and more solid."

Victory sees Arsenal reach a European quarter-final for the first time since 2010 and the Gunners will learn their fate in Friday's draw, which begins at 12pm.