Arsenal through to Champions League quarter-finals after beating Porto 4-2 on penalties following 1-1 aggregate draw in last 16; manager Mikel Arteta: "It's another big step, especially as a club... The best thing is we are not satisfied, we want more"
Wednesday 13 March 2024 14:43, UK
Mikel Arteta has hailed the "big step" Arsenal have taken in qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 14 years and believes their progress could also have a "powerful" impact on their quest to win the Premier League.
Courtesy of two outstanding David Raya saves, the Gunners sneaked through on penalties after their two-legged tie with Porto ended 1-1 on aggregate. Arsenal last reached the last eight of the Champions League in 2010.
"For them to do it when the club hasn't managed to do it for 14 years, it tells you the difficulty of it," reflected Arteta.
"It's another big step, especially as a club. The last seven years we haven't been in this competition, the last 14 we haven't been where we are today. That's the difficulty of it, the best thing is we are not satisfied, we want more and we are going to try to go through the next round for sure."
Arsenal will discover the identity of their last-eight opponents in Friday's quarter-final draw.
"I'm so happy, so proud, especially for the club," Arteta told the club's official website.
The Arsenal manager reserved special praise for Raya following his two saves in the shootout.
"It was incredible. What he's done through the game as well and how composed he looks and how secure. It's the first big game that he's played in his career in the Champions League, and it didn't look that way.
"The way the boys took the penalties as well, their body language, their composure, their quality."
Last season, European competition came at a steep cost to Arsenal when William Saliba suffered a campaign-ending injury against Sporting Lisbon in mid-March. But Arteta is confident that progression in the Champions League could prove a domestic advantage.
"If you are out you think one less competition, we can focus on the league, more time to prepare for games but now the energy that it brings amongst the squad, amongst the club it's really powerful," he said.
It was a viewpoint echoed by Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal striker Paul Merson.
"It only gives you confidence, it's major," said Merson. "Plus you've always got that extra thing to fall back on. If they'd have lost tonight and then at Man City, all of a sudden you're on a bit of a downer. Now, they got to Man City with the Champions League still on - it's a massive, massive boost for Arsenal. Brilliant for the fans too."
Arsenal don't play again for almost three weeks when they return to action in a top-of-the-table clash at Manchester City on March 31, live on Sky Sports.
"It's a massive boost," continued Merson. "You can get beat at Man City, draw your next game after that and you're out of the title race. They've got something else now, two trophies to go for. It's got the elephant out of the room, they've been going out of these competitions too often at this stage, and they've gone through tonight.
"They're moving forward, they took the best team in the world to two games from the end of the season. Now they're top of the league and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
"They should get major credit, they don't get the credit they deserve if I'm being honest. We're always waiting for a Liverpool or a Man City to kick on, but Arsenal are in there, there's no doubt about it."
Analysis by Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
Most Arsenal fans had already embraced David Raya as the club's new No 1, such has been his improvement in recent months following some shaky moments in the first half of the season.
But, for all the quietly impressive performances which led Arteta to highlight Raya's knack for anticipating and preventing danger before it arises, the Spaniard was yet to enjoy a standout moment.
This was it.
He had performed impressively over the course of the 120 minutes, saving well from Evanilson in the first half, confidently claiming crosses and using the ball smartly over short and long distances.
In the end, though, what mattered most was what happened from the spot. The decisive save, from Galeno, was superb; the first, from Wendell, even better.
He was a totem of calm during the shootout, setting the tone as Porto lost their nerve, and it is that even temperament that truly separates him from the popular Aaron Ramsdale.
His blend of quality and composure in possession helps Arsenal to dominate opponents. The same qualities help ensure panic does not spread during the moments of adversity.
It was all there against Porto, his penalty heroics occurring in the same spot at the Emirates Stadium where Ramsdale's error almost cost Arsenal against Brentford a few days earlier. Arteta's decision to change his goalkeeper has been emphatically vindicated.
You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!
