Wayne Rooney warned Arsenal fans: “We haven’t won it yet” after the Gunners enthusiastically celebrated reaching the Champions League final. The Gunners, unbeaten in 14 games in this competition, will travel to Budapest later this month to face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich. Arsenal defeated Atlético Madrid 1-0 and 2-1 on aggregate that night, reaching the final for the first time in 20 years.
Bukayo Saka’s 44th-minute goal from close range made the difference as Arsenal booked their flights to Hungary. The final whistle was greeted with raucous excitement inside the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal players and fans celebrated the milestone. However, not everyone in the field agreed with the crowd’s enthusiasm. Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott reacted on Amazon Prime Video Sports: “It’s an unbelievable scene. I’ve never seen energy like this at the Emirates. Bukayo Saka, what a man.”
“It’s unbelievable that some of the people here weren’t even born the last time we made it to the finals. Now they’re one of them, but can they take it one step further? This belief, this group of fans can generate that. Maybe they’re the team that can do it this year.”
Rooney also chimed in, praising Miles Lewis-Skelly, saying: “I thought he was very good again tonight. I thought Arsenal were very efficient in their performance. I thought they were great in scoring and then defending. The two centre-backs were great all night.”
“If you look at their performance all season long in the Premier League and the Champions League, they deserved to be in this position.” But the Manchester United icon warned: “They haven’t won it yet so the celebrations are a bit…(too much).” Let’s celebrate if we win! But no, they deserve it, they were really good today.
“I always think that if I win a contest, people will congratulate me. I always get yelled at when I say that!”
However, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told Amazon after the game: “It’s chaos[in the dressing room]. I don’t think you should underestimate what we’ve done so far in this competition. I think we had a right to celebrate that moment.”
“This is a huge moment. The Champions League final is the most prestigious tournament in club football. It’s a proud moment for the boys and the club and we’re trying to soak it all up.”
Goal scorer Saka said: “It’s very beautiful. You know what it means to us and to the fans. We are very happy. It was a high-pressure game. It means a lot to both sides. We coped well and were able to reach the final. It started before the game, when the coach arrived. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s a beautiful story. I hope it ends well in Budapest.”
Rooney later added: “At Arsenal, what we’re seeing now is maturity. You can feel it. When you’re watching a team that’s come through the Champions League get into the quarter-finals and semi-finals, they’ve gone the extra mile and that maturity and being together for a few years really shows.”
“This will give them belief. I think they know. You see a team that believes in themselves and knows they’re ready to go and win titles. I said a few weeks ago that I thought they were going to win the Premier League and the Champions League. They’ve put themselves in a hell of a position to do that. I think this is Arsenal’s year. They’ve shown that all year long.”
