Mikel Arteta joked that he could have given Bukayo Saka a “clip round the ear” after his dinked penalty was saved by Thibaut Courtois, but the Arsenal manager described the winger as “incredible” for the way he recovered to score the goal that helped to send the Gunners into the Champions League semi-finals.
Arteta described Arsenal’s 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu as probably the proudest moment in his career, and announced “the feeling we have is a reality” and that his team are “ready to compete against anybody” after going through 5-1 on aggregate. He also revealed that he called Pep Guardiola on the morning of the game to thank him for being an inspiration as a player and a coach and giving him the opportunity that led to him coaching here for the first time.
Asked if he had ever felt prouder of his players, Arteta replied: “Probably not, not only because we’re in the semi-final but the manner we did it. Because of the circumstances, the amount of injuries. It shows the character of this team, this club. This is another massive step for us.”
Arteta admitted it only took a couple of minutes for him to realise that this was a stadium where anything could happen, but his players had shown the maturity to manage the difficult moments and find a way past Madrid. None more so than when Saka missed a first-half penalty.
“It could have been a turning point emotionally in the game but the way he handles it, the personality, at his age playing in this stadium for the first time was incredible,” Arteta said. “I could have given him a clip round the ear. But he decided what is best: he had the courage to take it, that’s what he thought was best. I was more concerned about the emotional part of it [than the miss itself]. Then with the penalty [for Madrid] that they ruled out. I felt then that the game might be going somewhere we didn’t want.
“You come here and see it live and you realise how difficult it is here, how anything can happen. They can drive you into scenarios that are very difficult. But we have done it and we did it in a very clever way. We were very clear. The biggest pride is when I look at my players and I talk to them and I can see how convinced they feel.”
Saka said: “We showed that we can play in Europe and beat one of the best teams in the world, home and away. I’m very proud of this team. Tonight was a big statement.”
