Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, who will go on to face Inter Milan in a mouthwatering final later this month in Munich
An emotional Mikel Arteta claimed the Champions League final will be without the competition’s BEST team after Arsenal’s hopes came to an end in Paris.
“I don’t think there has been a better team in the competition but we are out,” declared the Gunners boss. “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.
“What we have done against this side in Paris is remarkable. To come here and still do that gives me a lot of positives for the future but tonight I am very upset."
When pressed whether he thought the best team lost the semi-final, he replied: “Yes, I think so - certainly for 160 minutes … and they (PSG coaches) just told me that.”
But Arsenal will not be heading for a showdown with Inter after they missed a string of chances before Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put PSG in command of the second leg. And although Bukayo Saka gave the Gunners hope of an unlikely fightback, Luis Enrique’s team held on to a 3-1 aggregate advantage to book their trip to Munich for the final.
Arteta could not hide his pain over those early missed opportunities, saying: “After 20 minutes it should have been 3-0 for us. 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.
“When you look at the two games their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper (Gialuigi Donnarumma) - he has been the difference for them in the tie.”
And while Arteta clearly took the aggregate loss badly, Declan Rice tried to put on a brave face. "I thought we were dominant today and if we score one of those chances in the first 15-20 mins, then the game changes,” he said. “Two mistakes from us and two goals for them. We gave it everything, it wasn't meant to be. Over the two legs, we could've scored more goals but Donnarumma has been unbelievable.
"Sometimes you have to lose a few in order to win and overcome setbacks to grow as a player and as a group. We're going through that at the moment in terms of the Premier League and Champions League.
"We’re growing as a team but we need to keep pushing and believing. We're absolutely gutted but this doesn't define us for sure.”