May 9th 2025.
Following Arsenal's heartbreaking exit from the Champions League, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher expressed his frustration with Mikel Arteta's claims about the team's performance. Despite an impressive run in the competition, including a stunning quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, Arsenal could not overcome Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
In his post-match interview, Arteta boldly stated that Arsenal had been the better team over the two legs and even went as far as to suggest that they were the standout side in this year's Champions League. He pointed to PSG's goalkeeper as the main difference in the tie, saying, "When you look at the two games, their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper." However, Carragher saw this as a "nonsense" claim and also took issue with Arteta's recent interview where he falsely claimed that Liverpool had won the league with fewer points than Arsenal have accumulated over the past two seasons.
Despite Arteta's confidence in the team's performance, the reality was that Arsenal fell short once again, going a fifth season without a trophy. The defeat was a painful one for the players, who were so close to advancing to the final. "After 20 minutes it should have been 3-0," Arteta admitted. "We were very close and for long periods of both games we were much better than them." But in the end, they were not able to secure the win that would have propelled them to the final.
Carragher, who now works as a pundit for CBS Sports, acknowledged that Arteta's emotional state after the game may have influenced his comments. "When a manager speaks straight after the game, he's obviously still emotional," he said. "I've seen another interview where he said he feels Arsenal have been the best team in the Champions League this season on what they've done. That's nonsense, they're not."
As for the match itself, Arsenal started strongly and had a few big chances early on, but were unable to find the back of the net. PSG, on the other hand, took their chances and Fabian Ruiz's superb goal in the first half eased their nerves. Achraf Hakimi's goal in the second half seemed to seal the deal for PSG, despite Bukayo Saka's late goal for Arsenal. The Parisian side proved too strong for the Gunners, who will now have to regroup and focus on their remaining competitions.
In the midst of the disappointment, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard remained positive, saying, "We gave it a proper go." He acknowledged that the team fell short in certain areas, but also gave credit to PSG's goalkeeper for making some incredible saves. "It wasn't enough and that's painful," he said. "But we have to stay strong and together, take the lessons and use this pain to come back stronger."
PSG will now face Inter Milan in the Champions League final, after the Serie A giants beat Barcelona in a thrilling encounter. For Arsenal, it's back to the drawing board as they continue to chase their elusive trophy.
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