Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Champions League, Football, PSG, Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka
Luke Davies
Topics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Champions League, Football, PSG, Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka
Chelsea rubbed salt in Arsenal’s wounds after the Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday (May 7).
Arsenal came into last night’s Champions League semi-final second leg trailing by one goal on aggregate after suffering a 1-0 loss to PSG thanks to an Ousmane Dembele strike last week.
It was always going to be a tough ask to overturn the deficit at a raucous Parc des Princes on Wednesday, and Arsenal’s hopes of a positive result were quickly washed away when Fabian Ruiz unleashed a stunning strike past David Raya on 27 minutes.
Despite Raya, 29, offering Mikel Arteta’s side a glimmer of hope by saving a Vitinha penalty on 69 minutes, just three minutes later, Achraf Hakimi curled a right-footed strike beyond the Spanish goalkeeper to put the result beyond any doubt.
Bukayo Saka scored a late consolation goal, but it was the French champions who progressed to Munich’s final on May 31, and they will face Inter in the showpiece.
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Arsenal’s exit retained Chelsea’s position as the only London club to have won a Champions League – in 2011/12 and 2020/21 – and they were quick to post on social media after last night’s game.
Chelsea wrote: "Back home tomorrow. Looking to reach a European final for the eighth time in our history," as a reference to their Conference League semi-final second leg against Djurgårdens, which is set to take place on Thursday evening (May 8).
But some fans think this was a dig at Arsenal.
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One said: "My club mocking Arsenal."
Another added: "The timing of this post is diabolical."
While a third commented: "Unwarranted dig, but I dig it."
If Chelsea do go on to win the competition they would become the first English team to win all three major European club competitions, having previously won the Champions League and Europa League.
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Enzo Maresca's side go into the fixture with a three-goal advantage, having won 4-1 in Sweden last week.
They will face the winner of Fiorentina vs Real Betis, with the La Liga outfit coming into tonight's game in Florence with a one-goal advantage.