Mikel Arteta has stated his pride in his Arsenal side despite falling to a 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain to exit the Champions League at the semi-final stage. The Gunners travelled to the French capital needing to win the game after Ousmane Dembele's goal in north London last Tuesday handed Luis Enrique's side a narrow advantage.
After starting the game as the better side - but failing to convert any of their clear-cut chances - the Premier League giants fell behind to a deflected Fabian Ruiz effort from the edge of the penalty area. This made the task at hand even tougher as a fully rested PSG team started to assert more dominance as the night went on.
Right-back Achraf Hakimi then put the game out of Arsenal's reach with a beautifully curled effort into David Raya's left-hand corner. Bukayo Saka pulled one back for the visitors to make it 3-1 on aggregate, but there wasn't enough time for Arteta's men to stage a comeback.
arsenal psg Related
Arsenal Fans Slam ‘Sloppy and Shaky’ Star After PSG Loss - But Have Figured Out the Reason
Following Arsenal's Champions League exit, supporters think he ‘looks so lost’ in recent weeks - with the PSG defeat no exception.
Mikel Arteta: 'We Were Much Better Than Them'
Gunners boss proud of his players despite heartbreaking defeat
Arteta wasn't in the mood to give a detailed assessment of his team's performance immediately after the fact, as the Spaniard was still processing the different emotions that came with defeat. Speaking to TNT Sports after the full-time whistle, however, the 43-year-old did reveal the 'feedback' he got from the opposing bench. He said:
"The feedback I got straight away from their bench was that we were much better than them."
After the Parisiens had put in dominant performances against Liverpool and Aston Villa at the Parc des Princes in the earlier knockout rounds, that is a big compliment to be paid by Enrique and his staff. He went on to express the hurt he and his players felt after suffering the loss: "But we are not there (in the final) and that has to hurt. If we want to win this competition and go there, we need to realise that there are certain things that are on us, and you shouldn’t just be understanding that we are out."
arsenal manager mikel arteta Related
Mikel Arteta Causes a Serious Stir With Claim About Liverpool’s Premier League Win
Fans have claimed the Arsenal boss does himself 'no favours' when making such remarks about Liverpool's 2024/25 Premier League triumph.