Arteta claims Arsenal were best Champions League team after PSG defeat

Arsenal boss insists his side outperformed Paris Saint-Germain despite semi-final exit.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks to the media during a post-match press conference after his team's defeat and elimination in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on May 7, 2025. Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Mikel Arteta delivered a defiant assessment of Arsenal’s Champions League campaign on Wednesday night, insisting Arsenal were the best team in the Champions League this season despite their painful semi-final elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal’s dreams of lifting their first-ever Champions League title came to a crashing end at the Parc des Princes, where they lost 2-1 in the second leg, culminating in a 3-1 aggregate defeat. The Gunners had started brightly in Paris, creating several chances in the opening minutes, only to be repeatedly denied by a brilliant performance from PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave PSG a commanding lead before Bukayo Saka’s late strike offered a glimmer of hope. However, it was too little, too late, and the French champions advanced to the final to face Inter Milan, while Arsenal’s trophy drought extended to five years.

Arteta defends players and insists Arsenal were unlucky

Speaking after the defeat, Arteta passionately defended his squad, arguing that Arsenal’s overall performance across both legs was superior to that of their opponents.

“When you look at the two games, their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper. He was the difference for them in the tie,” Arteta said. “I'm very proud of the players. One hundred percent, I don’t think there’s been a better team in the competition from what I’ve seen — but we are out.”

Arteta’s belief that Arsenal deserved more was underscored by their dominant start to the second leg, during which they had opportunities to seize control early. “After 20 minutes it should have been 3-0,” he lamented. “We were much closer than the result suggests.”

Missed chances and defensive lapses prove costly

Despite Arteta’s defiance, he acknowledged that Arsenal were once again undone by a familiar combination of poor finishing and defensive vulnerabilities — issues that have haunted them throughout the campaign.

“If we want to win this competition, we have to realise that,” Arteta said. “There are certain things that are on us. This competition is about the boxes — and in both boxes, the strikers and the goalkeepers make the difference. Theirs was the best in both games.”

His remarks reflect growing frustration within the Arsenal camp, as the club’s inability to convert dominant stretches into goals has cost them dearly in key fixtures. While the Gunners controlled possession and tempo for much of the tie, they lacked the clinical edge needed at the highest level of European football.

Injuries and squad depth hindered Arsenal’s title push

The defeat also highlighted the fragility of Arsenal’s squad depth. Arteta pointed to an injury crisis that left the team far from full strength during a critical stage of the season.

“The players deserve a lot of credit for what they’re doing given the context — probably the worst state you could arrive at this point of the competition,” he explained. “You need to arrive in the semi-finals with a full squad in peak condition. We didn’t have that.”

Indeed, injuries to key players have not only derailed Arsenal’s Champions League bid but also undermined their domestic title challenge, where they have struggled to keep pace with Liverpool. Arteta suggested that, had circumstances been different, his team could have reached the final or even won the competition.

Hope and hard truths

While Arteta struck a defiant tone in his assessment of Arsenal’s performance, he also acknowledged that ambition alone is not enough to lift a major trophy.

“This squad — two years ago, nobody believed we could even qualify for the Champions League,” Arteta said. “Now we’ve reached the semi-finals, we’ve competed with the best, and in most years, our domestic points tally would have been enough to win the league. But in football, you need that final piece to lift the trophy, and we don’t have it yet.”

His comments suggest both pride and disappointment — pride in the journey Arsenal have made under his leadership, and disappointment that the team continues to fall just short of the elite level required to secure silverware.

Arteta added: “If you want to be competing and be very close to all the trophies, you better be able to deal with this kind of heartache.”

PSG look to crown European campaign in final

Meanwhile, PSG’s win marks another significant step in their quest for European glory. With Kylian Mbappé, Hakimi, and Donnarumma all delivering decisive performances, Luis Enrique’s side now prepare for a final showdown against Inter Milan.

For Arsenal, the focus shifts to recovery and rebuilding. The Champions League exit will sting, particularly given how close they came, but Arteta believes the experience could be a foundation for future success — provided the club continues to invest, grow, and address the areas of weakness that have emerged this season.