Mikel Arteta was delighted with his players after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday.
Declan Rice scored two brilliant free kicks before a tidy finish from Mikel Merino added gloss to the scoreline to seal a famous victory for the Gunners, who take a hefty lead to Madrid for the second leg next week.
"Beautiful. So happy, so proud of the team. We have the opportunity to make a lot of people proud and we certainly have done that," Arteta told Amazon Prime after the match.
"I've never seen the stadium like this. Before the game they were already singing and already playing the game. For big European nights you need the big stadiums that create atmosphere and you need individual magic moments and there you go.
"That's the beauty of whoever invented this sport. We hadn't scored a free-kick since September 2021, and tonight, against Real Madrid at home in the Champions League, we scored two in 13 minutes."
Arsenal thoroughly deserved their victory over 15-time European champions Real Madrid, restricting them to just three shots on target while the home side had 11.
Arteta could not hide his delight at the performance.
"I mean, collectively, when we played the way we played and have the performance that we had you need individuals at the highest level." Arteta said, reported by BBC Sport.
"I think they all took their performance to another level, their individual performance to the standards that are required to beat this incredible team.
"[I am] very happy and now it is about consistency."
Real Madrid have only ever once overturned a three-goal first-leg deficit, doing so after a 4-1 defeat away to Derby County in the 1975-76 season.
Despite history being on their side, Arteta knows that they will need to put in another good performance at the Bernabeu to have any chance of progressing further.
"OK, we need to go there. We know we will have to step up again and we will try to win it," he said.
"It's another step in the right direction as a team. We have to make another one and replicate what we've done tonight."
Vaecimprst
0
Be humble arteta . Even if you win , you can't beat PSG . so you are going no where.
That's what you guys said about Madrid now it is PSG. We shall see to that
Reabdmnory
0
Be humble arteta . Even if you win , you can't beat PSG . so you are going no where.
KehindeSeun
0
Arteta must think of defending the score line. He must play the same team and attack from the go.Madrid will be all out to attack and will be valnerable at the back.
that will be the mistakes he will make if he try to defend. you said it that they will be all out to attack and vulnerable in defense so why should they stay back again in game of 90m. they need to attack if Madrid score 2 they should try to score 1 even if they score 3 they only need to score 1 to qualify you can't seat back and defend with Madrid they will score allot of goals in your post but if you attack them you have a very good chance to score in this kind of case
KehindeSeun
3
BE HUMBLE HUMILITY THE BEST POSSIBILITY....ARTETA YOU TALK TOO MUCH KNOWING NO MATTER WHAT U DO HALF OF THE FAN BASE WILL NEVER/EVER RATE YOU
You are very very stupid.someone win with 3 goals to madread you are still criticizing him for replying to a question that was ask. are you mad ?? they no day do good in your family abi they swear for u ??? what kind of nonsense is this
Litelntz
1
BE HUMBLE HUMILITY THE BEST POSSIBILITY....ARTETA YOU TALK TOO MUCH KNOWING NO MATTER WHAT U DO HALF OF THE FAN BASE WILL NEVER/EVER RATE YOU
Yeobdeiopr
2
Arteta must think of defending the score line. He must play the same team and attack from the go.Madrid will be all out to attack and will be valnerable at the back.