Arsenal’s Champions League journey came to an end on Wednesday night, as PSG sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory to book their place in the final.
The Gunners had lost the first leg 1-0 at the Emirates, but optimism remained high among fans after Arsenal’s strong showing against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
However, hopes of a dramatic turnaround were dashed in Paris as PSG asserted their dominance with a 2-1 win, sending the Gunners out of the tournament, which could now result in Saliba leaving Arsenal.
Despite the clear defeat, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sparked controversy with his bizarre post-match comments, drawing harsh criticism from former professionals Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta slammed for embarrassing comments
After the game, Arteta claimed that Arsenal were the better side over the two legs. And he doubled down on his claim later in the press conference, stating that members of the PSG bench had privately told him the same.
Cundy and Jamie O’Hara were left stunned by Arteta’s take, calling his comments unclassy and “embarrassing.”
Speaking on talkSPORT, Cundy didn’t hold back:
“Bad night for Arsenal. They’re out of the Champions League — but before we take calls, we just heard from Mikel Arteta moments ago saying Arsenal were the better side.
“Honestly, mate, what’s he doing? I don’t know what he’s on about. 160 minutes. He’s embarrassing himself.
“People ask why Arsenal are disliked. That right there is why Arsenal are disliked. The manager coming out like that. That’s what he’s like in defeat. Absolute joke. He’s a joker, honestly. That’s embarrassing.
“He’s not classy. Not at all. And that’s that right there. Arsenal fans. If you want to know why people look at Arsenal and want you out, your manager carrying himself like that in a presser after that you know.”
Mikel Arteta’s recent comments suggest he doesn’t handle defeat well
This isn’t the first time Mikel Arteta has come across as a poor sport in defeat.
Following Arsenal’s collapse in the Premier League title race, the Spaniard drew criticism again — this time for his comments about Liverpool, who comfortably secured the title ahead of his side.
Arsenal were widely seen as Liverpool’s closest challengers, but Arne Slot’s team went on to win by a stretch, eventually establishing a commanding 15-point lead.
Instead of congratulating the Reds on a remarkable campaign, Arteta appeared to undermine their achievement with a bizarre remark. He said: “Liverpool have won the title with fewer points than we have in the last two seasons. With the points of the last two seasons, we would have two Premier League titles.
“So, you have to be at the right moment, in the right place. Hopefully, here we are in the right moment, in the right place in Paris tomorrow, to earn the right to be in the final.”
The notion that Arsenal were somehow denied two Premier League titles simply due to bad timing doesn’t hold up.
This season, with Manchester City faltering by their own high standards, Arsenal had a golden opportunity — but failed to capitalise, dropping points in several avoidable draws.
Liverpool, meanwhile, thrived under a new manager and without any major reinforcements, went on to have an outstanding campaign in which they lost just thrice all season.
If they win their remaining three fixtures, they’ll finish with over 90 points — an achievement worthy of praise, not excuses from their rivals.
