Real Madrid huffed and puffed outside of Arsenal’s box for 90 minutes on Wednesday evening, but Mikel Arteta’s side were not in charitable mood.
Arteta set his Arsenal side up perfectly to cope with Madrid’s threat — the hosts were limited to crosses into the Gunners’ box, ones that William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior dealt with superbly.
Of course, the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were then devastating in transition for Arteta, enabling Arsenal to keep on the front foot.
Spain’s media were amazed by Rice at the Bernabeu, a player who simply stole the show over both legs.
Thibaut Courtois praises Arsenal after beating Real Madrid
That being said, Madrid’s Courtois spoke to Movistar at full-time and reflected on how difficult his side found it against Arsenal, even at home on a big Champions League night.
The Belgian goalkeeper praised Arsenal for defending ‘very well’ and also went on to praise how effectively Arteta’s team closed Madrid down when they had the ball.
Reflecting on the game as whole, Courtois said: “In the end, when a penalty is awarded against you, if you save it, you still have faith.
“At first, we created danger, and I could feel the fans. But Arsenal are a team that defends very well.
“It was very difficult to create danger. I felt that if we scored after the break, we could get behind… but they scored against us.
“We scored, we still had faith… But we couldn’t. Raya didn’t have to make any great saves. That’s the summary of the tie.
“It was hard to create play. They’re a team that defends well and presses well. It’s hard to find openings.”
Declan Rice was still fuming despite beating Real Madrid
Of course, the only blemish on such a brilliant night was the fact that Arsenal lost Thomas Partey to suspension.
Declan Rice was furious with Partey when he picked up his yellow card needlessly in the 85th minute, one that will rule him out against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Arteta had already given that situation plenty of thought even in the immediate aftermath of the win against Madrid — it’s going to be a difficult situation to solve.
Partey was vital over both legs against Madrid and even if Jorginho is fit to deputise, it’s a significant downgrade.
One for Arteta to ponder, but it’s also a very nice issue for the Arsenal manager to have, who has reached a Champions League semi-final.
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