Arsenal’s long wait for a maiden UEFA Champions League title goes on, after they were dumped out of the competition by Paris Saint-Germain in a semi-final tie that exposed the gulf between hope and reality.
PSG claimed a slender but decisive 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium last week, before sealing progression with a controlled 2-1 victory in Paris last night. The aggregate 3-1 scoreline sent the French champions into the final and left Mikel Arteta’s men facing yet another season of reflection rather than celebration.
Despite the clear-cut nature of the defeat, Arteta struck a defiant — some might say delusional — tone in his post-match remarks. The Arsenal boss insisted his side were the better team across both legs and laid much of the blame for their exit at the feet of PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“Congratulations to PSG for reaching the final,” Arteta said, speaking to TNT Sports. “The assessment I will make when I am a little bit cooler, but the feeling I get from their bench was that we were much better than them. Over the two legs, the best player on the pitch was their goalkeeper. He made a difference in the tie.”
Arteta went further, boldly claiming: “100% – I don’t think there’s been a better team than Arsenal in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out.”
It’s an extraordinary assertion, considering Arsenal failed to win either leg, scored just once over 180 minutes, and rarely looked in control against a PSG side that managed the tie with composure and tactical clarity. Donnarumma made key saves, certainly, but the suggestion that Arsenal were battering down the gates is revisionist at best.
This latest European failure comes amid growing scrutiny of Arteta’s five-year tenure at the club. Despite plenty of talk about “the process” and “the project,” Arsenal’s trophy cabinet has remained shut since their FA Cup win in 2020.
Supporters are now asking how long style without substance can be tolerated. Arteta’s belief in his team may be admirable, but football is not judged on theoretical superiority — it is judged on results. And the result is clear: PSG won. Arsenal lost.
Defiance is one thing. Delusion is quite another. Arsenal, for all their progress under Arteta, still find themselves applauded for potential rather than applauded for prizes.