Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal are capable of producing a special moment to overturn their first-leg defeat against Paris Saint-Germain and reach the Champions League final.
The Gunners will head to the French capital next week trailing by a single goal in the last-four fixture after Ousmane Dembele stunned the Emirates when he struck inside four minutes.
Although Mikel Merino had a second-half goal ruled out for offside, PSG substitute Goncalo Ramos struck David Raya’s crossbar in the closing minutes and Arteta’s men might count themselves fortunate to still be in the tie.
However, Arteta said: “We are at half-time, and my message is exactly the same as it was after we beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final. We have to go to Paris and win the game, and we are more than capable of doing it.
The Verdict recaps Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to PSG in the Champions League.
“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special, and we are going to have to do something special in Paris to be there. We still have a lot of chances to be in that final.
“We will surely make some adjustments, and depending on the context of the game, we will make more adjustments.
“And from there, we will go with a lot of enthusiasm, with a lot of desire and with the feeling that we can do it.”
‘Game decided on fine margins’
Arsenal’s Declan Rice whips in a cross for Mikel Merino to put it in the back of the net but VAR ruled it out for offside
Arsenal secured a comfortable 2-0 win against PSG back in October, but Luis Enrique’s reformed side raced out of the blocks on Tuesday night and totally dominated the majority of the opening period.
Arteta said he was forced into a tactical switch, which he would not disclose, midway through the first half, and Arsenal improved with Gabriel Martinelli forcing a fine save from Gianluigi Donnarumma before Merino’s header just 90 seconds after the interval was chalked off by VAR.
Leandro Trossard tested Donnarumma again, but Bradley Barcola almost added a second for the visitors with 10 minutes to go when his shot fell narrowly wide and Ramos then struck Raya’s woodwork.
“I saw two very good teams, but the margins are so small,” Arteta added. “They had efficiency in front of the goal. The goalkeeper as well made a difference to the result.
“We had two one-on-ones with Donnarumma and if they go in, it is a different story,” added Arteta. “But he made the saves, and that’s the difference in the Champions League. The margins are so small, and it didn’t go our way.”
Luis Enrique: We cannot let our guard down
Clinton Morrison gives his reaction to PSG’s early goal against Arsenal in the Champions League
PSG saw off Manchester City in the group stages before beating Liverpool on penalties in the last 16 and then knocking out Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.
And following their win against Arsenal – which puts them in pole position to face either Barcelona or Inter Milan in next month’s showpiece – PSG boss Luis Enrique said: “There was an incredible atmosphere inside the stadium, it was deafening, but we got off to a wonderful start and the early goal gave us a boost of confidence.
“It is mission accomplished for this evening. But our objective is to win the second leg at home.
“With Arsenal we cannot let our guard down or be complacent because they can score quickly and we are back to square one.
“Nothing is in the bag. We need to win when we are at home because Arsenal now have nothing to lose.”
Dembele could be injury doubt for second leg
Luis Enrique also revealed Dembele’s injury does not appear to be serious, but he could be a doubt for the return leg in Paris.
Dembele came off with 20 minutes to go of PSG’s 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates.
“There will be medical tests tomorrow and we will communicate,” Enrique said.
“There’s nothing serious, it’s rather minor, but there’s a doubt before the return match.”
‘They won at the Bernabeu, why can’t they win in Paris?’
Arsenal’s Declan Rice
Sky Sports’ Clinton Morrison on Soccer Special:
“They were against a good PSG team. I don’t think Arsenal did much wrong, it was a very close game, but PSG created the better chances. Arsenal did create a few chances, but Donnarumma was in fantastic form.
“The difference between the two teams was the pace and the counter-attack. PSG’s front three caused Arsenal a lot of problems. Even Barcola, when he came on, had a golden opportunity.
“The home tie is very important, so it was a bit disappointing. At times the Arsenal fans were quiet, but they did make a lot of noise and tried to get behind them.
“They’re still in this tie. PSG is a difficult place to go, but they can create chances. They went to Real Madrid and won, so why can’t they go to PSG and win?
“This is a different PSG from when Liverpool played. They are full of confidence, they know their game plan.
Leandro Trossard reacts to a missed chance against PSG
“The improvement that I’ve seen in PSG over the last three or four years has been fantastic. They are not individual players in their team, they work for each other.
“Dembele is a superstar. He’s had 45 goal involvements. He’s got 30 goals this season, I think nine in the Champions League. His career has just flipped on its head, and he’s been fantastic.
“Arsenal missed Thomas Partey. I don’t think Dembele gets that goal if Partey is sitting in front of the back four. He pulls off, and then it enables Declan Rice to play higher up, but they’ll have him back for the second leg.
“They’ve got to believe because next Wednesday is going to be a hell of an atmosphere and play on the counter-attack. They’ve got the players to cause problems and PSG won’t sit back and hold onto the 1-0.
“They’ll get forward so Arsenal will have the opportunity to counter-attack but they’ll have to keep it tight at the back.”
“It’s a disappointing night, but they’re still in this tie. At 1-0, you know, going to PSG is a difficult place to go, but they can create chances. They went to Real Madrid and won, so why can’t they go to PSG and win?”
What’s next for Arsenal and PSG?
Arsenal travel to France for the return leg against PSG next Wednesday at the Parc des Princes.
But before that, the Gunners host Bournemouth in the Premier League’s late afternoon kick-off on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, while PSG head to Strasbourg in Ligue 1 earlier on the same day.
The Champions League final takes place on Saturday May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, with the winner of this semi-final tie taking on either Barcelona or Inter Milan.
