Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed ‘an amazing night’ as the Gunners beat Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final.
Bukayo Saka’s first-half strike was enough to see off Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate and take Arsenal back to the final for the first time since 2006.
Fans lined the streets before the game and created a special atmosphere in arguably the biggest night at the Emirates Stadium since Arsenal moved in.
The Gunners will face either champions PSG or Bayern Munich in Budapest at the end of the month and Arteta paid tribute to the supporters who have been made to wait so long for success on the continent.
He told Amazon Prime: “It’s an amazing night to live this kind of moment with the players and everyone at the club, it’s an incredible feeling.
“It makes sense with all of the things we do and we go through and I see so many happy faces and I’m so proud of what we’re doing.
“It was unbelievable right from the beginning – the supporters waiting for us outside the stadium, the energy and passion that they put in so it was just great to win this.
“They set the standards and we’ve tried to catch up with them. We struggled so many years to give that joy back and the pride in their eyes was beautiful to watch.”
‘Arsenal deserve it’
Atletico boss Diego Simeone was looking to take his side to a third final after losing in 2014 and 2016.
But despite applying plenty of pressure in the second half his side struggled to create any chances of note in a dissapointing display as Arsenal easily held out for a ninth clean sheet in the Champions League this season.
“I feel calm, I feel peace, I think the team gave absolutely everything,” Simeone said. “(Arsenal) took their big chance in the first half and they deserved it.
“In the first leg we could have won it but we were not clinical enough. We gave it all and now we have to accept the place that we are in. I’m proud of where we are.
“I think Mikel Arteta has done an incredible job at Arsenal, I’m really pleased for them, they deserve it.”
Premier League sides to reach the Champions League final since 1992
- Manchester United: 1999, 2008, 2009, 2011
- Liverpool: 2005, 2007, 2018, 2019, 2022
- Arsenal: 2006, 2027
- Chelsea: 2008, 2012, 2021
- Tottenham: 2019
- Man City: 2021, 2023
