Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has labelled his side as the best team in this season’s UCL despite their semifinal exit to Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday night.
The French side defeated the Gunners 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate, dumping them out of the competition and extending their wait for a first European trophy.
Read this: Wenger backs Arsenal to overcome PSG
How it happened
Arsenal headed to Paris on Wednesday hoping to rewrite history as they looked to overturn a 1-0 deficit, after Ousmane Dembele had given PSG a first leg advantage last week.
Check this out: PSG eliminate Arsenal to book UCL final spot
The English side were off the blocks early forcing the hosts goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into two brilliant stops in the first ten minutes.
Despite their early dominance, the visitors conceded the opener when Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz struck a brilliant volley deflected in off Gunners defender William Saliba, moments after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had struck the post.
VAR awarded PSG a penalty kick just after the hour mark after young defender Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have handled a shot from Achraf Hakimi.
However, David Raya spared the visitors blushes denying Vitinha from 12 yards, before Hakimi doubled the hosts advantage with a stunning curler.
England international Bukayo Saka halved the deficit to give Arsenal hope before spurning another chance to equalize, when he fired over from point-blank range.
Luis Enrique’s side held on for a big win to advance to the final for a date against Inter Milan in Munich on the 31st of May.
What Arteta said
“100 percent I don’t think there’s been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition so from what I have seen, but we are out. We deserved much more I think in both games.
But this competition is about the boxes and in both boxes there are normally the strikers most of the time and the goalkeepers and he was the best player in both games”, the Spaniard said.
When asked if his comments meant that his side played better than their opponents, the 43-year old continued: “I think so, yes. Especially across 160 minutes. I’m saying that and they are saying that because they just told me that.
It gives me so much pride, but at the same time I’m so upset, so annoyed that we didn’t manage to do it. Today I see how much the players want it because they were in tears [at the end].”
What next for Arsenal?
The Gunners are set to end the season trophyless and have not won a major trophy since the FA Cup in Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge in 2020.
Up next is a clash against league champions Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, as they look to secure UCL qualification ahead of next season.
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