Arsene Wenger has boldly refuted Mikel Arteta's claim that Arsenal were the superior side across both matches against Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners saw their Champions League aspirations come to a halt with a 3-1 aggregate defeat in the semi-final, leaving PSG to move forward to contend against Inter Milan for the coveted European title later this month.
Arsenal's journey to Paris started off with them trailing from a 1-0 handicap brought home from the first meeting. They began eagerly, only to be thwarted by Gianluigi Donnarumma's remarkable goalkeeping.
The Italian shot-stopper pulled off brilliant saves against Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard before Fabian Ruiz's strike extended PSG's lead in the 27th minute.
Despite Donnarumma's continued efforts, denying a fine attempt by Bukayo Saka, David Raya kept Arsenal's chances alive with a penalty save from Vitinha. Hopes dwindled again as Achraf Hakimi netted another for PSG, but Saka ignited a moment of joy for the visiting supporters with a neat finish.
Saka’s late bid sending a low cross just over the post was Arsenal's last significant threat, with PSG maintaining control to eliminate yet another English team from the competition. Arteta's post-match assertions that his squad was "100 per cent" the tournament's standout and had outplayed PSG across the legs drew attention and raised eyebrows.
The manager graciously began with praise for the opposition, stating: "First congratulations to PSG for reaching the final. The assessment I will make when I am a little cooler," before reflecting on the performance of PSG's goalkeeper as a key factor in the outcome: "When you look at the two games their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper, he has been the difference for them in the tie. We were very close, much closer than the result showed but unfortunately we are out. I am very proud of the players."
He then lamented the missed opportunities and the lack of fortune that can often sway such tight contests: "After 20 minutes it should have been 3-0. 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 but we are not there and that has to hurt."
The coach emphasised the need for self-reflection and improvement to triumph in future tournaments: "If we want to win this competition we have to realise that. There are certain things that are on us. You shouldn't just be understanding we are out. That is not the way I look at it."
Finally, he expressed confidence in his team's performance despite the exit: "100%, I don't think there's been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out. This competition is about the boxes and in both boxes are the strikers and the goalkeepers and there's was the best in both games."
However, the former Arsenal manager Wenger offered a contrasting perspective. Speaking to beIN SPORTS, he remarked: "I would say tonight that we've seen a different Paris Saint-Germain - not guided by possession and brilliant football, but guided by refusing to concede goals and taking advantage on the counter-attack and on set pieces is what gave them success tonight. I would say that mentally they were strong as well. When they missed a penalty, they did hang in there."
He also commented on Arsenal's continued issues: "On the other hand, with Arsenal, we saw the recurrence of being unable to score goals... Overall, in the two games, I would say they were better than Arsenal, had more chances and were never really in danger, so congratulations to Paris Saint-Germain."
Wenger expressed optimism about PSG's prospects for unprecedented triumphs: "I said a long time ago that Paris Saint-Germain will not be far away from winning the Champions League and let's not forget: they are maybe the only team who can have the perfect season because they can win the Champions League, win the double in France and the Club World Cup. That would be an extraordinary success for Luis Enrique."