Mikel Arteta has doubled down on his claim that Arsenal deserved to beat Paris Saint-Germain in their ill-fated Champions League semi-final.
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Arteta maintained his stance that Arsenal were better than PSGLuis Enrique refuted the Gunners boss' claimsGunners face Liverpool next on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Gunners were eliminated from the competition by PSG earlier this week after they lost 3-1 on aggregate over two legs. Arsenal reached the French capital intending to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the clash at home, but ended up losing the second instalment 2-1 at Parc des Princes.
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After the game, Arteta had claimed that he had received feedback from the PSG bench that the Premier League giants deserved to win, as he said: "I don't think there's been a better team in the competition from what I've seen. But we are out. We deserved much more but this competition is about the boxes."
In response, PSG boss Luis Enrique said: "I don’t agree at all. Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree completely. They played well. They played the way they wanted to. We scored more goals than them. Arsenal played well, we suffered a lot. I think it’s the game in which we suffered the most. [But] we deserve to be in the final. They’re a great team too, but again, we scored more goals. Mikel Arteta almost killed me. They managed to stretch every ball. The team shows they have a lot of talent."
WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID
The Gunners boss has now doubled down on his claims as he reiterated: "I stand by what I said, 100 per cent. I’ve watched it back, seen all the stats. When you look at all the important stats, the ones that give you the best platform to win football matches, it’s crystal clear who was better. With an expected goals of five against three, which we had over the two legs, normally you’re in the final."
He added: "If you face PSG and they blow you away, you shake hands and say, ‘We’re not ready still’. When you look them in the eye, suffocate them in the way we did there, you were the better team. But it’s not about the winning probability, it’s actually making it count."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
The north London side will next visit Anfield on Sunday to take on Liverpool in their penultimate match of the 2024-25 campaign. The Gunners will give a guard of honour to the newly-crowned league champions, as confirmed by their Spanish coach.
