Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger made a rare return to the Emirates Stadium yesterday as his former club suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semi-final first leg.
The 75-year-old Frenchman was spotted arriving through the players' entrance wearing a navy suit, accompanied by his daughter Lea.
His visit marked a special occasion for Arsenal fans, who have not often seen their former boss at the stadium since his departure in 2018.
However, Wenger's homecoming nearly began with an awkward mishap in the stadium lift.
Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger made a rare return to the Emirates Stadium yesterday as his former club suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semi-final first leg
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As Wenger entered the lift, he became distracted upon spotting Arsenal club photographer Stuart MacFarlane.
In the moment of recognition, he failed to notice the elevator doors closing on him.
His daughter Lea attempted to prevent the doors shutting by placing her hand between them, but without success.
Fortunately, the lift's safety mechanism detected Wenger's shoulder and automatically stopped.
The smiling former Arsenal boss then emerged to shake hands and embrace MacFarlane.
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Arsene Wenger with that Eubank Sr pull up to the carpet.
— Jaja (@JajaBreed) April 29, 2025
Pray for PSG. pic.twitter.com/E0s0pbQMgf
The incident prompted amusement online, with one fan joking: "How can the lift just shut on Wenger?"
Despite the near-mishap, Wenger appeared in good spirits throughout his Emirates return.
Later in the evening, the Arsenal legend was seen chatting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the VIP seats at the Emirates.
Wenger, now FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, managed Arsenal for 1,234 matches between 1996 and 2018.
During his 22-year tenure, he led the Gunners to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup triumphs.
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His closest brush with Champions League glory came in 2006 when Arsenal reached the final but lost to Barcelona in Paris.
Current manager Mikel Arteta is hoping to surpass his mentor's European achievements this season.
Arsenal's European hopes suffered a setback as Ousmane Dembele's superb first-time finish, which turned in off the post, proved the difference in the first leg.
The Gunners, who had impressively eliminated Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, struggled to find an equaliser despite their efforts.
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Both VAR's semi-automatic offside system and PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Arsenal chances to level the score.
The 1-0 defeat leaves Arteta's men with work to do in the return leg.
Arsenal must now regroup before travelling to Paris, with everybody associated with the club still dreaming of reaching the final in Munich next month.
Speaking after the defeat, Arteta said: "We go to Paris to win, and I fully believe that we can do it.
Arsenal lost 1-0 to PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with Ousmane Dembele's early goal the difference between the two sides
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“We’re disappointed with the result because I think we merited much more than what we got.
"After having a difficult start, especially when they scored so early in a really good combination, they had the quality to open you up and finish the way they did. But after that, I think the team started to get better and better.
“The margins are so small - we have two massive chances, probably the best two chances of the game with Gabriel [Martinelli] and Leandro [Trossard], one v one with the keeper.
"He managed to save them and then obviously the goal was disallowed. That's the margins and unfortunately we couldn't score.”
