Legendary Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly aimed a dig at Arsenal after their defeat by PSG in the Champions League final.
The Gunners were beaten in heartbreaking fashion in the showpiece event in Budapest on Saturday night, with Gabriel’s penalty miss condemning them to a 4-3 loss in the shootout.
Despite pushing their opponents all the way, some have since criticised Mikel Arteta’s side for their apparent defensive approach during the game.
Arsenal had just 24.7 per cent possession, the lowest for any side in a final of the Champions League since records began, while Kai Havertz’s early goal was their only shot on target in the match.
And, according to French outlet L’Equipe, Ferguson noted this in a congratulatory text to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Ferguson won two Champions Leagues during his iconic 27-year-spell at Old Trafford and he was said to label the Gunners as ‘boring’.
Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly aimed a dig at Arsenal after Champions League final defeat
He was said to criticise the Gunners’ style of play for the showpiece event in Budapest
However, sources from Qatar Sports Investments, the majority owner of PSG, said Ferguson did not actually use that word.
Instead, they claimed Ferguson – who attended the first leg of PSG’s semi-final victory over Bayern Munich in Paris last month – was extremely positive in his message and he rather said: ‘You were the team that played football.’
Ferguson’s thoughts were shared by PSG star Joao Neves, who hit out at Arsenal’s style of play.
‘We deserved this title,’ he said. ‘I saw only one team on the pitch. We created chances, we had the ball most of the time and we played better.’
Meanwhile, L’Equipe shared a similarly brutal review of Arsenal in their coverage of the game.
The French publication pulled no punches in their damning assessment of Arteta’s side and claimed they deserved to lose the tie.
The lack of attacking intent led L’Equipe to go as far as claiming Arteta had ‘rejected his Barcelona legacy’.
Arteta came through the youth ranks at the Catalan club and played 42 times for their B team until he spent 18 months on loan at PSG.
L’Equipe wrote: ‘For a long time, it seemed PSG would lose this final without even really playing, rendered powerless, locked down by the Gunners, who threw the key into the Danube before parking their double-decker bus in front of David Raya’s goal.
Arsenal were beaten 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after Gabriel missed a decisive spot kick
‘Mikel Arteta’s rejection of a Barcelona legacy, on the cusp of the best night of his career, can justify his defeat, as can this statistic: Havertz’s goal was Arsenal’s only shot on target, a sorry mess with players like these, as if this club, built on attacking football, had shed all scruples to extinguish its reputation as a loser.’
Even though PSG struggled to create many opportunities of note, the French press felt the team ‘who tried to play’ deserved to claim their second successive Champions League.
‘Can you be European champion with only one shot on target, a constantly low block, and 25 per cent possession?,’ they added.
‘Perhaps, and even certainly. But it’s quite fortunate that it didn’t happen this Saturday night.’
