Wayne Rooney called out Arsenal’s fans after Paris Saint-Germain secured a 1-0 win at the Emirates in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Despite a rousing atmosphere before kick-off, the home crowd was then stunned into silence by Ousmane Dembele’s early goal.
The Gunners were unable to hit back and now have it all to do in Paris next Wednesday. Mike Arteta’s side were also left grateful there was no further damage, with Bradley Barcola shooting wide with the goal at his mercy late on. Goncalo Ramos then hit the bar with the French side good value for their win.
After the final whistle, Rooney didn’t hold his back with view’s on Arsenal’s players or supporters, saying on Amazon Prime: “PSG could have won the game by two or three.
“I was a bit disappointed with how Arsenal played and the fans too. It was subdued. It was like they beat Real Madrid and would walk into the final and win the competition.”
He wasn’t done there. Rooney later reiterated his criticisms, and argued the occasion had not lived up to expectations. He added: “For Arsenal, I was a bit disappointed with how they played, disappointed with the fans as well.
“The fans against Real Madrid really pushed the team. I thought tonight they were a bit subdued. The fans had to be there for them tonight and the players had to show up of course. On both sides it wasn’t good enough.”
The noise levels were temporarily raised early in the second half when Mikel Merino headed in a Declan Rice free-kick. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out for offside.
Rooney did argue the Gunners were not yet out of the tie, but warned they could ill-afford to push too hard for a leveller in Paris.
“Arteta can’t go away from the game plan that they’ve had for the majority of the season,” he said. “They have to go and be patient. Keep themselves in the game and then gamble towards the end.”
