Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his immense delight at his side’s 1-0 away victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Sporting Lisbon, emphasising how difficult it is to beat a team that hasn’t lost at home for a long time.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, Arteta said: “I’m very happy with the away win in the Champions League quarter-finals against a team that hasn’t lost at home for I don’t know how long. I think the last time they lost was also in European competition, which shows just how difficult the task was.”
On the attacking challenges during the match, he explained: “Yes, I felt that because when we got into the final third and settled there, we lacked the final touch. We needed to be more dynamic, quicker and more effective to break down their defensive block. We had a goal disallowed, and there were two or three chances where we were very close but lacked that decisive pass. In the end, a moment of magic from the substitutes gave us the win.”
On the winning goal, Arteta commented: “A beautiful moment, and that’s the impact you need when you reach this stage of the season. Everyone has to make their mark, and that’s certainly what the players did tonight.”
Arteta concluded by praising his goalkeeper David Raya, saying: “He had two moments where he saved two crucial shots. That’s the Champions League; the competition is always decided in the penalty area because there’s such immense quality here.”
Responding to Kai Havertz’s description of Raya as the best in the world, Arteta said: “At the moment he is a phenomenon, and he has been performing exceptionally well since joining us. We are very lucky to have him with us.”