To the Arsenal, ONE-NIL! Has there ever been a better time for that sweet refrain? Certainly not in a long time. The Gunners are heading to Budapest to play in the Champions League final. True to their identity under Mikel Arteta, they did it with smothering defense and superstar Bukayo Saka finding the back of the net. Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Champions League and have only conceded 6 goals in 14 matches.
You could tell from the celebrations on the pitch at the full time whistle how much it means
to this bunch. They’ve come so far — from missing out on the Champions League, to a QF exit, then a SF exit. And now they’re playing in the final. Those celebrations were mirrored in the stands by the home support who were louder than any crowd at the Emirates has ever been.
Up and down the lineup, guys came to play. Gabriel, Ben White, Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Leandro Trossard, and Viktor Gyokeres were immense. Gabriel made the defensive play of the game, somehow putting Giuliano Simeone off from behind without fouling after a William Saliba miscue had allowed the Atleti attacker a chance to touch the ball around David Raya. Tonight was by far Ben White’s best performance in years. What a time to pull it out.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, a teenager in the midst of a sophomore slump season, playing his second game in the midfield this season, looked like he’d been there all along. Leandro Trossard, who has been slowed by a hip injury and out of form for months, was composed and productive on the ball and worked tirelessly without it.
Viktor Gyokeres still hasn’t stopped running and battling – it’s a little weird because the match is long over but still. He plays hard minutes, too. So often he’s running into channels alone, banging with centerbacks, and he still found the energy to charge forward late in the game to help relieve the pressure. The Swedish forward has found another level at the perfect time — he’s playing really, really well. I think tonight’s performance, on effort and heart alone, will win over plenty of doubting Arsenal supporters.
The lone goal in the match came in the first half, created in large part because of Big Vik’s work. He ran down a ball in behind the fullback and kept possession to bring Bukayo Saka into the play. The ball went across towards the back post where Leandro Trossard controlled it but didn’t shoot. It looked like the chance had gone, but the Belgian winger, as he often does, showed just enough patience and guile to find an opening for a shot. All Jan Oblak could do was block his blistering, low shot out for a dangerous rebound, and Bukayo Saka was the first to pounce. As the shot came in, Saka was quickest to react, dancing around and between two defenders who got caught ball-watching.
From there, Arsenal shut down the game. It never feels great defending a 1-0 lead, particularly with how shaky the Gunners have looked at the back at times recently. But they put in a throwback performance. The Arsenal defense from the fall when they had folks talking about the all-time goals conceded record in the Premier League turned up and gave Atletico Madrid, the second-highest scoring team in the Champions League, nary a sniff. It was beautiful to watch.
One win from a Champions League title. Three wins from a Premier League trophy. What a month this could be.
