Neither youth nor age hold sway

Arsenal were a different proposition from the very start last night, as they would always need to be against the champions of Europe. The strange lassitude and slapdash touches that brought them low at Old Trafford last Saturday were banished as they sought to become the team who would finally expose Milan's reliance on a bunch of ageing stars.

The reappearance of Arsene Wenger's first-choice centrebacks immediately improved their shape, while the presence of Emmanuel Adebayor ensured the fast breakaway or the long ball over the defence would always be a promising tactic.

Cesc Fabregas, too, appeared to have shaken off whatever ailed him in the 4-0 FA Cup defeat by Manchester Unite, while Emmanuel Eboue, whose rashness brought a red card in that match, seemed encouraged in his adventures down the right flank by the return of Bacary Sagna from compassionate leave.

On the face of it this was going to be a battle between Arsenal's youthful vigour and Milan's faith in experience. But Carlo Ancelotti chose to add spice and a touch of the unpredictable to the encounter by selecting Alexandre Pato, the 18-year-old Brazilian striker signed last summer, for his European debut. This brought the average age of the Milan XI down to 29 years and nine months, compared with Arsenal's 25 years and six months.

Pato, who is six months younger than Theo Walcott, took five minutes to make his mark when he cleverly lifted the ball over Fabregas - at 20, a comparative veteran - just inside the Arsenal area and ran round the Spaniard to hit a volleyed shot. The attempt was blocked by Kolo Toure, the defender injuring his knee badly enough in the process to require his replacement by Philippe Senderos.

Ancelotti invited 39-year-old Paolo Maldini to captain Milan on his 1,001st appearance for a club whose first team he has graced since the age of 16.

Hoping to set a record by reaching the European Cup title for a record ninth time, Maldini is in his final season with the club and last night may well have been the final appearance on an English pitch of this incomparable defender. We may not have to wait long to see his elder son, Christian, a 12-year-old in Milan's youth scheme, joining Pato in the next generation of Rossoneri.

Arsenal appeared re-energised after the interval, Fabregas and Alexander Hleb tearing through the Milan midfield, intent on setting Adebayor free to run at the heart of the defence, now deprived by injury of the calm and perception of Alessandro Nesta.

Short passes and blindside sprints were slicing Milan to ribbons, although the final thrust was missing as Eboue put a cross-shot wide from a fine set-up by Hleb, Eduardo drove a fierce shot over the bar and Maldini did just enough to deflect a tricky diagonal pass away from Adebayor.

The last action of the night saw Adebayor's header shuddering the crossbar from substitute Theo Walcott's sublime right-wing cross.

So ended a night of proper European football, a night of tension and excitement illuminated by stars of the past, present and future.