Mikel Arteta boldly claimed Arsenal had been the Champions League’s best this season in a sour interview after Wednesday’s semi-final exit to Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Parc des Princes, losing 3-1 on aggregate to confirm a fifth consecutive season without silverware.
Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi fired the hosts into a two-goal lead before Bukayo Saka offered a glimmer of hope late on but missed an open goal moments later. Arteta was understandably downbeat after the final whistle and was visibly struggling to come to terms with his side’s elimination.
“First, congratulations to PSG for reaching the final. The assessment I will make when I am a little cooler,” Arteta told TNT Sports.
“When you look at the two games, their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper. He has been the difference for them in the tie.
“We were very close, much closer than the result showed, but unfortunately, we are out. I am very proud of the players.
“After 20 minutes, it should have been 3-0. There is something extra you need to go your way in the competition, and it didn’t.
“We were very close and for long periods of both games we were much better than them but we are not there and that has to hurt.
“If we want to win this competition, we have to realise that. There are certain things that are on us. You shouldn’t just be understanding we are out. That is not the way I look at it.”
Arteta also insisted his team had shown signs of progression this season, despite passing another year without adding to the Emirates Stadium trophy cabinet.
The Spaniard went as far as to claim Arsenal had been the most impressive team in the Champions League this season.
He continued: “100 per cent [there has been progression]. I don’t think there’s been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out.
“This competition is about the boxes, and in both boxes are the strikers and the goalkeepers, and theirs was the best in both games.
“I am so proud of the players. They deserve a lot of credit for what they are doing in the context of the situation and the amount of injuries, probably the worst state you could arrive here as a team.
“To come here with a different context and still do that, it gives me a lot of positives for the future, but tonight I am very upset.”
Arsenal are now winless in four games, losing their last three, with Premier League games against Liverpool, Newcastle United and Southampton left.
