Mikel Arteta has faced ridicule on social media following his comments after Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal’s hopes of European glory came to an end on Wednesday night after a 2-1 loss at the Parc des Princes. With PSG already ahead 1-0 from the first leg, goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory for the French side, despite Bukayo Saka scoring for the Gunners.
The result sees PSG advance to the Champions League final, where they will face Italian heavyweights Inter Milan.
In his post-match interview, Arteta congratulated PSG but controversially claimed that Arsenal had been the superior team across both legs.
He stated: “Congratulations to PSG for making the final. I’ll reflect more clearly later, but from what I sensed on their bench, we were the better side.
“Their goalkeeper was the standout player over both matches—he was the key difference. We were very close, closer than the score suggests, but we’re out.”
Arteta added: “I’m incredibly proud of the team. The way we started and handled the occasion – we could’ve been 3-0 up after 20 minutes. But in competitions like this, sometimes things don’t go your way.
“I’m hurting… and it should hurt. That’s part of growing and competing at this level. Just accepting defeat isn’t how I see it.”
Social media users, however, were quick to mock his remarks. One fan wrote: “His post-match comments were delusional. Arsenal weren’t the better team over the two legs.”
Another posted: “Arteta’s interview was totally embarrassing – just cringe.”
A third commented: “That Arteta interview… he’s something else.”
Someone else added: “Another classic embarrassing moment from Arteta.”
A fifth fan called it: “Comedy gold from Arteta in that post-match interview.”
Arsenal will look to bounce back this weekend as they face Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield.