Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown have awkward TNT Sports exchange after Arsenal defeat

Rio Ferdinand has following 's surprise defeat to Inter Milan, marking the Gunner's first Champions League loss this season at the San Siro.

Despite a contentious first-half penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu—awarded after a questionable handball call against Mikel Merino—the Arsenal legend isn't overly concerned about their current form. On TNT Sports, Keown shared: "The point I'm making is that in the second half, Arsenal did all they could to score a goal here. And I saw a really good reaction.

"Everyone wants to put Arsenal away. I don't think there's a massive crisis for Arsenal. I don't think they're that far away from getting it right. They've got to keep believing in what they're doing. Yes they're not scoring goals but I thought when Nwaneri came on - perhaps should have been on a bit earlier - and he demonstrated some real quality when he came on."

Ferdinand responded, indicating his eagerness to see more of the young talent: "I want to see him more. But I don't think anyone's trying to put Arsenal away here, Martin, we're just stating facts."

Keown responded: “No I’m admiring what Inter Milan are doing. They have a different model. They have a director of football who is coming to the end of his career shall we say?

“He’s been remarkable in what he’s done. They’ve got free transfers in and it shows in their performance. A lot of people knocking Arsenal, I’m standing up for them a bit tonight.

“I thought they did better. Maybe it was mentioned in the commentary. I thought they had one or two chances that they didn’t put away but they certainly went after their opponents today.”

Ferdinand then addressed host Laura Woods with a tongue-in-cheek question: "Why are Arsenal people so touchy? I don't understand, why is that? No one's having a dig - we're not having a dig."

This light-hearted comment sparked laughter amongst the TNT Sports pundits.

Looking ahead, Arsenal aims to bounce back when they take on Chelsea this weekend. Its Champions League journey continues post-international break with a matchup against Sporting Lisbon, who comes off a strong 4-1 win over Manchester City in what was Ruben Amorim's last home game before his reported switch to Manchester United.