Danny Welbeck scored twice against AC Milan to toast his England recall by sending Arsenal into the last eight of the Europa League.

Leading 2-0 from the first-leg in Italy, the Gunners were shaken by Hakan Calhanoglu’s long-range strike but hit back to win 3-1 on the night and assure themselves of a spot in the quarter-finals.

Welbeck levelled with just his third goal in 26 games by winning and converting a dubious penalty before heading home from point-blank range after Granit Xhaka’s tame strike had put the hosts ahead.

Tweet of the match

Arsenal didn’t even get back up from their own fans…

Star Man

On the day he was recalled to the England squad, Jack Wilshere demonstrated further signs of improvement with a confident and composed display that made him both Arsenal’s chief creative threat and the player responsible for setting their tempo. If he can maintain this level of performance until the season’s end, he can become a key figure for England at the World Cup.

Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere impressed throughout against AC Milan
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere impressed throughout against AC Milan (Nigel French/PA)

Data Point

Danny Welbeck’s goals represented his first in European competition since a hat-trick scored in the Champions League against Galatasaray in October 2014, a month after his transfer from Manchester United.

Danny Welbeck is back on the goal trail
Danny Welbeck is back on the goal trail (Nigel French/PA)

Moment of the match

Ricardo Rodriguez’s challenge on Danny Welbeck that led to Arsenal’s penalty. There is little question the hosts were fortunate to be awarded the chance to pull level, and having gone behind just four minutes earlier. At 1-0 down and with Arsenal’s confidence so fragile, Milan looked the likeliest next goalscorers but the controversial awarding of a penalty significantly changed the game.

Arsenal v AC Milan – UEFA Europa League – Round of 16 – Second Leg – Emirates Stadium
Danny Welbeck went down in the area despite minimal contact from Ricardo Rodriguez

Player ratings:

Arsenal: David Ospina 6 (out of 10), Hector Bellerin 7, Shkodran Mustafi 6, Laurent Koscielny 5, Nacho Monreal 7, Aaron Ramsey 7, Granit Xhaka 8, Jack Wilshere 9, Mesut Ozil 7, Henrikh Mkhitaryan 7, Danny Welbeck 8. Substitutes: Calum Chambers (for Koscielny, 11mins) 6, Mohamed Elneny (for Mkhitaryan, 69mins) 6, Sead Kolasinac (for Mesut Ozil, 79mins) 5.

AC Milan: Gianluigi Donnarumma 4, Fabio Borini 5, Leonardo Bonucci 7, Alessio Romagnoli 6, Ricardo Rodriguez 6, Franck Kessie 6, Hakan Calhanoglu 8, Riccardo Montolivo 7, Suso 7, Patrick Cutrone 5, Andre Silva 5. Substitutes: Nikola Kalinic (for Cutrone, 67mins) 5, Giacomo Bonaventura (for Calhanoglu, 70mins) 5, Manuel Locatelli (for Kessie, 79mins) 5.

Who’s up next?

Arsenal v Stoke, Premier League, April 1

AC Milan v Chievo, Serie A, March 18