Football fans have claimed that Mikel Arteta ‘malfunctioned’ while conducting an extremely awkward interview after Arsenal’s defeat by PSG on Wednesday night.
The French champions ensured their place in Munich at the end of the month after beating Arsenal 2-1 on Wednesday night – 3-1 on aggregate – in a convincing victory.
Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi got the goals for PSG on the night – before a late goal from Bukayo Saka – but it was Gianluigi Donnarumma who took the plaudits.
The Italian goalkeeper was in sensational form at the Parc des Princes as he kept Arsenal at bay with a string of remarkable saves.
After the match, Arteta made it clear that he felt Arsenal were the better side and, had it not been for the Italian, would have progressed to the final.
However, as he discussed the matter, he was called out on his claim before then suggesting that members of PSG’s camp agreed with him.
Fans claimed that Mikel Arteta ‘malfunctioned’ while conducting an awkward interview
The Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League after a 2-1 defeat by PSG
Arteta insisted that Gianluigi Donnarumma was key to PSG winning both semi-final matches
Speaking to CBS Sports host Anita Nneka Jones, Arteta said: ‘First of all, congratulations to PSG. They are in the final.
‘It’s not about merits, it’s about what the scoreline shows. This competition is about the [penalty] boxed and, in both games, the man of the match was the goalkeeper’.
Jones rebutted: ‘Well, today, it [the Player of the Match] was Achraf Hakimi’.
Arteta continued: ‘Well, I think it was clear who won the game today for them. I just spoke to them and they had the same view on it.
‘Very disappointed not to be in the final but we have to accept that the performance is not enough in the end. You have to have the capacity to win the game in the box’.
Curious as to what Arteta meant, Jones asked: ‘Who was it that you spoke to?’
The Arsenal boss declared: ‘A few people of them [PSG]’.
The interviewer asked: ‘And they shared that opinion?’
‘All of them’, Arteta insisted.
The Spaniard then appeared frosty as the recent of the interview was conducted. After a lengthy question from Jones, Arteta said: ‘That’s all in the past now’.
Arteta conducted a frosty interview with CBS Sports shortly after the full-time whistle
Donnarumma made a number of key saves that kept PSG in the lead at the Parc des Princes
Posting a clip of the interview, one fan wrote: ‘Arteta malfunctioning when the interviewer doesn’t buy his excuses’.
PSG boss Luis Enrique, however, did not agree with the Spaniard’s claims as he said: ‘I don’t agree at all.
‘Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree completely. They played well. They played the way they wanted to.
‘We scored more goals than them. Arsenal played well, we suffered a lot.’
Arteta also claimed Arsenal did not deserve to lose against PSG and that his players were left in tears as the Gunners crashed out of the Champions League.
Arteta said: ‘One hundred per cent there hasn’t been a better team (than Arsenal) in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out.
‘When you analyse both games, who has been the best player, the MVP, it has been the same player — the goalkeeper.
‘And the Champions League is decided in the boxes and it won the game for them because obviously today after 20 minutes and what happened in London as well, the result should have been very different. So I can take a lot of positives and I’m very proud of the team.
‘But at the same time I’m so upset, so annoyed that we didn’t manage to do it.
‘Today I saw how much they want it because they were in tears.’
