PSG boss Luis Enrique has hit back at Mikel Arteta’s claim that Arsenal were the better team in their Champions League semi-final tie.
The response came after Gunners manager Mikel Arteta told the media: “The best team lost, in my view… especially after 160 minutes.
“I’m saying that and they [PSG bench] are saying that because they just told me.”
Arsenal will finish the season trophyless again under Arteta, following their 2-1 loss to PSG last night, losing 3-1 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-final.
Luis Enrique was ecstatic after his team progressed to the Champions League Final
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Enrique hit back at Arteta following these comments, saying: “Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree at all.
“They played in a clever way and they got the match to the right moment for them because they played in the way they wanted, and the way they love.
“But in the two legs we scored more than them and that is the most important thing in football.
“Arsenal played a great match, and we suffered, but we deserved to get to the final.
“They are a great team, but I repeat, we scored more goals, we played in a great way in the first leg, and the second half of the second leg was a different match, and we could have scored even more goals.”
While it’s not clear if the PSG bench did make these claims to Arteta, the stats certainly back up his claims, with the north London giants managing more possession and more shots at PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who put in a world-class display in goal to help his team progress through to the Champions League final.
Read More: Arsenal fail in bid to reach Champions League final after PSG victory and Bukayo Saka sitter
Mikeal Arteta consoles his team after their loss to PSG in the Champions League
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Last night's defeat prolongs Arsenal’s wait to lift the prestigious Champions League trophy.
No team has played more matches in the competition’s history without winning it.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice spoke to TNT Sports after the game and admitted his frustration with the result.
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"We're all desperate for it [a trophy]," he stated.
"That's why we play football, we want to win trophies, we want to be at the pinnacle, winning stuff. For whatever reason it hasn't been meant to be.
"We've been really close and it's not good enough. Arsenal deserve to be pushing for trophies and winning things but there's not a lot more we can be doing. A lot of superstars have suffered defeats to come out on top.
Declan Rice has assured fans 'we'll be back' after Arsenal lost to PSG
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"It hurts, you see the boys, the manager. We wanted to be in Munich but this doesn't define us and we'll be back."
The Gunners will look to bounce back on Sunday when they play newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool away at Anfield.
As for PSG, they'll lock horns with Inter Milan in the Champions League final on May 31.
The Ligue 1 giants previously lost to Bayern Munich at the same stage in 2020, with Kingsley Coman's goal enough for the Bundesliga titans to secure glory.
