On a night lit up by the brilliance of Declan Rice, Mikel Arteta was quick to shift the spotlight onto the collective as Arsenal took a big step towards the Champions League semi-finals with a convincing 3-0 win over Real Madrid.
Having urged the home supporters to “play every single ball”, the manager got exactly what he asked for – the stadium pulsed with energy and expectation well in advance of kick-off.
The pre-game fireworks, lightshow and tifos added to the occasion, but the onus was still on fans to bring the noise. Bookended by two spine-tingling renditions of ‘North London Forever’, they did so in spectacular fashion from start to finish.
For the players in red, intent on building “our own story”, it was the perfect platform for a thrilling performance that will go down as one of the best in the club’s modern history.
“It’s a beautiful night at the highest stage in the Champions League against the team that has dominated this competition,” Arteta said afterwards.
“We had an incredible performance in an amazing atmosphere, something I haven’t seen before here, and we created a magic night – two magic moments of Declan individually and a magic moment for the team in general to perform the way we’ve done.
“It’s all about belief, you have to be super convinced that actually you’re going to do it. It’s a way of feeling the game and your actions. You could see the crowd 15-20 minutes before kick-off already singing and bringing that energy, and I’m a big believer in that.”
If there was a dip in noise, it came just at the start of the second half as supporters returned to their seats from their half-time libation. The players took the initiative, upped the tempo and soon the Emirates was swinging again.
When Declan Rice found the net with his first free-kick, there was pandemonium. When he repeated the trick on 70 minutes, a sense of utter disbelief washed over the crowd.
As it became clear Carlo Ancelotti’s reigning European champions were on the ropes, the noise cranked up again in expectation of a third goal, duly delivered with one sweep of Mikel Merino’s clinical left foot. Bedlam again. Statement made.
Arteta reflected: “We haven’t scored a direct free kick since September 2021 and Declan has never scored a free-kick in his career and today in 12 minutes we scored two. There is something about the energy, the belief and people striving to achieve the same thing – things happen.
“It just brought the team forward, elevated every individual to a different level and it created a very difficult scenario for the opposition.”
Arsenal haven’t reached the semi-finals of Europe’s top competition since 2009. The task now is clear: keep Real Madrid at arm’s length long enough in the return leg to ensure the tie doesn’t tip back in their favour.
Nothing can be taken for granted against the 15-time champions, a side with a long-standing knack for conjuring miracles at the Bernabeu. Despite admitting they were second best on the night, both Jude Bellingham and Carlo Ancelotti struck a tone of quiet confidence. The comeback, you sensed, is already on their minds.
“We’re going to enjoy the win, because we feel we deserve to do that, but we know it’s just half-time, and we’re going to have to be even better in Madrid to go through,” said Arteta in his post-game press conference.
“They [the players] were talking about it immediately. You know, great, enjoy it, and now let’s prepare for Saturday very well, and then we’ll have the time to prepare for the next challenge in Madrid. But they are all very excited.”
Beating the best side in Europe is the sort of night Mikel Arteta must have dreamt of when he first took charge in 2019. While he deserves the spotlight, the manager acknowledged the important contributions of everyone working behind the scenes to drag the club out of its stupor.
“I know how much work and how many decisions a lot of people have made in this football club, to live the night that we had tonight,” he said.
“I told them, thank you so much for making us enjoy the journey, to come here, and thank you, for me feeling so convinced that tonight we’re going to do it, and we’re going to make it happen.
“It was a genuine feeling because I think we are prepared to do that, and now we have to go to the Bernabeu and do it, and that will be another step.”
