AC Milan coach Rino Gattuso has jumped to the defence of Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck.

The Rossoneri crashed out of the Europa League amid controversy on Thursday, as with the tie 2-1 on aggregate, Welbeck's blatant dive earned a penalty.

“The British media went down hard on him because they are a very sporting nation and believe in honesty," said the Coach in his Press conference.

“I know how they think there, because I played in Britain when I was 20 years old. I won't judge, because when I was a player, I tried to take advantage of little incidents.

“Nobody wants to lose and I'd be a hypocrite to say he was wrong. The truth is it wasn't his mistake, but that of the officials who awarded the penalty. Those two games are important to help us raise the bar, gain experience and mentality, because we want nights like that next year too."