Arteta hails incredible night as Arsenal end 20-year wait to reach Champions League final

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was overjoyed as his side reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years on Tuesday, saying there had been a huge positive shift in energy and belief following crucial results over the last week.

Even by his frenetic standards, Arteta was a blur of energy as the Gunners boss embarked on a jubilant lap of honour with his players after Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Bukayo Saka’s close-range finish in the first half sealed a 2-1 aggregate victory that sent Arsenal back into the Champions League final for the first time since their only previous appearance ended in defeat against Barcelona in 2006.

The north London club are now four games from immortality, with three wins from their remaining Premier League matches against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace guaranteeing a first English title since 2004.

They now face either holders Paris St Germain, who knocked them out in last season’s semi-finals, or Bayern Munich in the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30.

Whoever they face in Hungary will encounter an Arsenal team riding a tidal wave of emotion after the outpouring of joy from Arteta, his players and 60,000 fans on Tuesday.

From the moment, thousands of Arsenal fans massed outside the stadium to greet the team bus with red flares, flags and defiant roars of encouragement, it was clear this was a day unlike any other for the Gunners.

Arteta, who had sprinted onto the pitch at the final whistle to hug his players and then ran to the home fans for a series of oles, said it had been an “incredible night”.

“I cannot be happier, prouder for everybody that is involved in this football club,” Arteta told reporters. “We have all been so aligned on the desire and ambition that we had.”

The victory means Arsenal have also equalled their club record for most wins in a single season, according to Opta. They have now won 41 games across all competitions, matching the 55-year-old record set in the 1970-71 campaign.

Arteta said he had never experienced such a raucous build-up and atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium during his time at the Emirates, and that his side now had the bit between their teeth again.

“It’s great. Everybody can feel a shift in energy and belief in everything,” Arteta said.

“Let’s use it in the right way and understand that the margins and the difficulty of what we are trying to achieve is huge, but we have the ability and conviction today, that is for sure.”

Wenger gradually lost his way after losing to Barca in the Champions League final, but Arteta finally appears to have recaptured the spirit of that iconic team.

The Spaniard has laboured for over six years to create the perfect alchemy between players and fans, a bond that has come dangerously close to breaking during a trophy drought dating back to the 2020 FA Cup victory.

Arteta has hit on the perfect ingredients this season, leaving Arsenal on the brink of erasing the pain of three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League.

Arsenal’s midfield engine, Declan Rice, also said the side had regained their momentum.

“We have kind of turned a corner again. We went through a stage where we weren’t performing at our best. We were a bit sloppy in our play, but we have found a new way to play again,” Rice told Amazon Prime.

“When you have got confidence in football it is everything. I know everyone is focused.”

Rice also underscored the longer-term progression Arsenal have made and the importance of their league game against his former side West Ham United at the weekend.

“We have kept building - we have kept pushing each other. This competition and the Premier League. We have gone full throttle,” Rice said.

“Sunday now is a massive one.”

Winning the Champions League and Premier League in a single season would be greatest campaign in the club’s 140-year history.

Agencies