The PSG manager says his side deserved to go through to the Champions League final after Arsenal boss said his team had been the best in the competition
Even amongst the Arsenal-leaning journalists in the room, it was a claim that raised eyebrows, to say the least. Mikel Arteta suggested the best team had lost the semi-final tie between the Gunners and PSG – won 3-1 on aggregate by the French champions – and that there had not been a better side in the competition than his Arsenal.
“Delusional twaddle,” declared Piers Morgan on X. Luis Enrique was a lot more diplomatic but, nevertheless, was certainly not prepared to agree with Arteta.
The PSG boss said: “I don’t agree at all. Mikel Arteta is a great friend but I don’t agree at all. I think they played in a clever way and they got the match to the right moment for them because they played in the way they want and love to play.
“But I think in the two legs, we scored more goals than them and, in football, that is the most important thing. I have to say, Arsenal played a great match and we suffered a lot.
“I think it’s a match where we suffered the most. I think we deserved to get to the finals.
READ MORE: Martin Keown names big Arsenal problem that cost them place in Champions League finalREAD MORE: Arsenal fans all say the same thing about Bukayo Saka moment in PSG defeat
“They are a great team as well but I repeat, we scored more goals and we played in a great way in the first leg and in the second half in the second leg. It was a different match and we could score even more goals.”
Enrique did not argue with Arteta’s claim that Gianluigi Donnarumma was the best player in both legs but asked: “How are you going to win a Champions League without a great goalkeeper? Today, Gigi was phenomenal, as he was in every qualifying round, like against Liverpool.”
The victory over Arsenal means that PSG have beaten the Gunners, Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa en route to a Champions League final showdown with Inter in Munich on May 31. And Enrique could not resist a light-hearted pop at English critics who disparage the quality of Ligue 1.
He smiled: “The league of farmers, no? We are the league of farmers. But it’s nice. We are enjoying the result and the compliments of everybody speaking of our team — our mentality, how we play. It’s nice.”
After goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi had extended PSG’s two-leg advantage to 3-0, Bukayo Saka pulled one back but it was too little too late. Yet Arteta still claimed: “I don’t think there has been a better team in the competition … but we are out.”
But PSG midfielder Joao Neves was one of many to disagree, saying: “Arsenal are a very strong team with lots of individual quality. But I think we were the better team.”
After losing three of their first five league phase games, PSG looked in serious danger of leaving the competition. But a dramatic 4-2 win over Pep Guardiola’s City in January turned their campaign around.
Enrique said: “The turning point could have been the match against Manchester City in which we were losing 0-2. But in the group stage statistics, we were among the best in Europe. We are fair finalists.
“It means a lot. Everybody was dreaming of getting to a Champions League final and our first goal when we arrived in Paris was to make history and we are on the right path.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports’ discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes more than 1,000 live matches each season across the Premier League, EFL and more.
