‘That has to hurt’ – Arteta reflects on Champions League exit to PSG

Mikel Arteta says elimination from the Champions League semi-final at the hands of PSG “has to hurt” his players if they are to one day win the competition.

The Gunners fell at the penultimate hurdle after a 2-1 loss in the second-leg at the Parc des Princes – 3-1 on aggregate – as the French champions march on the face Inter Milan in Munich in the final.

Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave PSG control of the tie in Paris but only after a blistering start from the visitors that saw keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma pull off a string of impressive saves early on.

Vitinha saw a penalty saved by David Raya shortly before Bukayo Saka pulled one back for Arteta’s men with 15-minutes remaining.

The England winger then squandered a glorious chance to reduce the deficit further but it was Luis Enrique’s side who advance to contest the biggest trophy in European club football.

Keep your heads held high, Gooners.

We’ll be back. pic.twitter.com/96aKCnO7Go

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 7, 2025

While gracious in defeat, Arteta believes his team were the better of the two over the course of the tie.

“First of all, [I want to] congratulate PSG for reaching the final. The assessment I will make when I’m a little bit cooler, but the feedback I got straight away from their bench was we were much better than them,” said the Arsenal boss.

“When you look at the two game who has been their best player on the pitch? It has been their goalkeeper.

“He’s made a difference for them in the tie. And I think we were close. Much closer than the result shows. But unfortunately we are out.

“I am very proud of the players. What we did today, the way we started, how we handled the pressure. After 20 minutes it should be 3-0. But there is something needed in the competition to go your way and it didn’t [for us].”

Arsenal are now set for another trophyless season – their fifth in a row. And Arteta thinks his players need to learn from the pain of defeat in order to end their silverware drought.

“I’m upset. Yes, we were very close. Yes, for long periods of both games we were much better than them,” said Arteta.

“But we are not there and that has to hurt. If we want to win this competition, and go there, we have to realise that.

“There are certain things that are on us. Understanding that we are out is not the way I look at it.”