Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was hugely grateful to his players for the boost they had given the club after a gritty 1-0 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday earned them a place in the Champions League semifinals.
A 0-0 home draw against a high-energy Sporting meant Arteta’s side scraped the aggregate victory and their first back-to-back semifinal spot in the club’s history.
“My message to them was gratitude,” Arteta told reporters. “I know the effort, the commitment that they put in.”
While the performance had not been perfect, how they competed was more important at this stage of the season and with his side also seeking their first English Premier League title in 22 years, the Spaniard said.
He said the effort was epitomised by captain for the game Declan Rice who had been “shattered” on Tuesday and had seemed to have no chance of making Wednesday’s Sporting match.
“This is a massive boost,” Arteta said of the win, after his side stuttered in the Premier League at the weekend. “We fully deserve it and we are going to enjoy it.
He said he was looking forward to another tough game in the semifinal against Atletico Madrid, the first leg of which is in two weeks’ time in Spain, followed by the second leg at home on 5 May.
Arsenal bowed out in the semifinals last season to eventual winners Paris St Germain and they will have to improve against a dangerous Atletico side if they are to reach the final for only the second time, having lost to Barcelona in 2006.
“The things that (Atletico manager Diego) Simone have done are impressive,” Arteta said. “I think the tie is open to both teams, I hope it goes our way.”