Wenger down after horror night

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The Gunners were never in the match as former Tottenham midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng fired the Italians ahead on 15 minutes with a sublime strike, before a brace by ex-Manchester City frontman Robinho and a penalty from the impressive Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed a miserable night for Arsenal, who suffered their worst European defeat.

"It was a shocking result and a shocking performance. It was one of those nights you ever forget. It is our worst night in Europe. We were punished and deservedly so," said Wenger.

Not even the introduction of former captain Thierry Henry in the final game of his loan spell from New York Red Bulls could spark a fairytale comeback.

Wenger, however, must lift his squad again for what is now a crucial FA Cup fifth-round tie at Sunderland on Saturday ahead of the north-London derby with Tottenham when the Gunners will look to keep alive hopes of qualifying again for the Champions League with a top-four finish.

"The result is a disaster," said Wenger. "We were never in the game, we were very poor offensive and defensively. There was not one moment in the 90 minutes we were really in the game, and it was always the same problem, balls over the top and we were well beaten.

"It is difficult to analyse, so it is better not to talk too much, to analyse with a cooler head and regroup for the next game."

Wenger continued: "The season is not finished. We have a big game on Saturday and it is a good opportunity to show we have character and mental strength, that we can respond after such a shocking defeat.

"You could blame and blame, but we have to stick together and win the next game. A big disappointment like that has consequences on your belief.

"We have a lot of work to regroup and not a lot of time to prepare for Saturday's game, when we need to show something completely different."