Arsenal have reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years. Their defence has played a critical role en route to Budapest.
Atlético Madrid were desperate. As the seconds ticked away, and with them their hopes for a first Champions League final since 2016, Álex Baena let fly… His attempt from something close to 40 yards sailed harmlessly over and the Emirates Stadium roared.
Diego Simeone flapped around on the sidelines as he continued encourage his players in a typically maniacal manner, only this time the look on his face was one of utter dejection, bordering on helplessness.
Second-half stoppage time was quickly disappearing, and Baena’s shot reeked of Atlético being completely out of ideas, their best efforts previously falling on deaf ears as their imagination proved no match for Arsenal’s characteristically obdurate defending.
There was to be no late reprieve for Atlético – Arsenal got over the line, reaching a first UEFA Champions League final for two decades.
On the night, it was Bukayo Saka who played the role of hero, his first-half goal decisive in a 1-0 victory. But Arsenal’s successful journey to the Champions League final has been built on the foundations of exceptional, dogged defending, and that was – fittingly – on show once again on Tuesday.
Arsenal 1-0 Atletico Madrid Stats 2025-26
During what was an encouraging opening for Atlético, one moment was as good an example of Arsenal’s absolutely ravenous desire to not concede as any.
David Raya could only parry a low ball across the box back into the danger zone, but Declan Rice was there to get in the way of Giuliano Simeone’s effort, effectively denying a certain goal with his last-ditch tackle-cum-block.
Then came the celebration. A double fist pump, and a grateful embrace from Raya; he and Rice knew the value of the midfielder’s intervention.
For some in the stands at the Emirates, that moment may have stirred feelings of anxiety, that it was the first scare of a long evening.
It was a long evening, of course; Champions League semi-final second legs this tight rarely go by in a flash for the fans. But it was more the typical tension and Arsenal’s potent desperation to end their long absence from a European Cup final that made time feel like it was standing still, rather than Atlético’s threat.
The visitors were convinced before the game that, if they performed as they did in the second half of the first leg, they’d have more than enough to beat Arsenal. Diego Simeone and Antoine Griezmann each made this point.
And while Atlético certainly looked brighter in the second period on Tuesday than they had before the break, rarely did they give the impression that they were going to put Arsenal’s lead under the microscope. And on the few occasions they did threaten, the hosts had the nous to survive.
Saka’s poacher’s finish on the stroke of half-time nudged Arsenal in front on the night and in the tie, and from that point you always fancied the Gunners to be capable of seeing out a 1-0 win, however slender the scoreline was in real terms.
There was to be one more notable scare for Arsenal just four minutes into the second half.
William Saliba’s misjudged header let Giuliano in and he skipped past Raya to leave him with the goal at his mercy. But just like Rice was there in the first half, Gabriel Magalhães came out of nowhere, the Brazilian doing just enough to put the Atlético midfielder off.
A huge collective sigh of relief was let out around the Emirates.
But again, although Saliba’s mistake was somewhat uncharacteristic, the collective refusal to allow Atlético such a grubby goal is what has – if we ignore chatter about set-pieces for a moment – come to define Arteta’s Arsenal.
From then on, despite having over 60% of the ball, Atlético hardly had a sniff of goal. That proved to be their only shot of the night that equated to more than 0.08 expected goals – and while we ordinarily try to avoid putting too much importance on single-shot xG figures, the point is the away side struggled to find a way through. And when they did, somehow Arsenal snuffed them out.
Atletico Madrid Shots vs Arsenal UCL 2025-26
It’s no coincidence that this was Arsenal’s ninth clean sheet in 14 Champions League matches this season.
In all competitions, it was their 30th clean sheet of 2025-26, their most in a single campaign since 1993-94 (30).
On Tuesday, they allowed Atlético chances that were worth only 0.99 xG, giving them a per-game average of just 0.84 in the Champions League this season, comfortably better than any other side in 2025-26.
Arsenal Defence UEFA Champions League 2025-26
Having the best defence certainly doesn’t guarantee you’ll win the Champions League. In fact, only Bayern Munich (2019-20 – 0.62 xGA per game) and Manchester City (2022-23 – 0.81 xGA per game) have won the competition while also boasting the best xGA record that season (since 2013-14).
But seven of the past 13 teams to win the Champions League have conceded less than 1.0 xG per game on average, suggesting those who do ultimately lift “old big ears” don’t tend to cough up lots of opportunities to their opponents.
Stands to reason.
Ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final second leg between Bayern and PSG, their respective per-game averages for xGA in the UCL this season are 1.41 and 1.38; in other words, their opponents get better opportunities than the Gunners’ opposition.
PSG xGA
Bayern Munich xGA
Maybe we’re being too reductive. Perhaps we aren’t taking the brilliant forward lines of Bayern and PSG into account enough.
Either way, Arsenal’s tremendous defence has played a vital role in getting them this far, the cusp of being crowned European champions for the first time.
Sure, they probably could be more entertaining and free-flowing, putting greater emphasis on blowing opposition away – but after leading Arsenal to just their second Champions League final, it’s hard to argue Arteta hasn’t got his priorities spot-on.
UEFA Champions League Stats Opta
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