2025-26 UEFA Champions League - See Mod Note Post 1

They lost on penalties against the defending European champions whose league was wrapped up weeks ago. They kept them goalless from open play and only a clumsy tackle from a young defender let PSG onto the scoresheet.

Their game plan worked pretty well and they have shown many times this season that they are a side who are comfortable to not be on the ball.

To call it pathetic when it literally took penalties to deny them a Champions League is nonsense. It's one of those things — two penalties hit slightly better and we would all be talking about Arteta's tactical masterclass. Those are the fine margins.

Saka missed that pen for England in the Euro 2020 final. He would probably have done better than Gabriel though - would he have lasted the full extra time without limping off?

On Gabriel - he’s focusing on where to place it before hand… up in the sky. It was a weird call to have him 5th. It was a strange run up. It was never going to end well, you could see it.

Madueke should have went before him? He did his best to take a pen off Palmer for Chelsea before. You’d think he would have been up for it.

It was Eze stutter run up penalty that was a terrible penalty with the keeper going the wrong way and he still puts it past the post and should be the one spoken about not Gabriel’s for me.

well they were beaten, they lost the penalty shoot out.
Their effectiveness is fundamentally dependent on the refs decisions going their way. The ref didn’t fall arteta’s antics yesterday and it destroyed the Arsenal game plan of sitting back and nicking a goal.
No way do they get away with their corner tactics next season, the FA will have to act.
Previous Liverpool and Man City were very impressive teams. They went out and won games. This Arsenal team just time waste, and dive and try to nick goals from rugby style corners. Not a sustainable strategy.

Well the game plan nearly worked because PSG didn't really look like scoring in open play ,I know this is ridiculous to suggest but I wonder how it would have played out if PSG had scored early and Arsenal had to come at them more because they looked a wee bit more likely to score when they did break from The parts of the game I saw .Overall The game is not in a great place because PSG don't look anything special and are now two times champs which before would mark you down as a pretty special team .

It was interesting that neither teams style of play seemed to be sustainable for the 100 minutes of normal time let alone extra time.

They'd probably score even more then, if their own players get free runs at the ball.

I think that was a chance missed by Arsenal. Champions league finals don't come around often.

The PSG keeper was an absolute stiff. He could have been there for an hour and not got near saving one. He was as bad the Romanian keeper in Genoa in 1990. All the Arsenal players had to do was hit the target and it was in.

The PSG keeper's only contribution was to confuse Eze by not moving.

Jack Charlton had the right idea regarding penalties. Make up your mind what you're going to do, and do it. With conviction.

I'd be very much of the Alan Shearer/Harry Kane meat and potatoes mindset with penalties. Hit it hard and to the corner. In a penalty shoot out you basically need to eliminate thinking. Thinking introduces doubt and confusion. As soon as I see lads stopping or dancing with their run ups I think "uh oh".

Basically a boring final, tried to give a chance but by half time in extra time it was clear it was going to be irredeemable. Will be remembered only for the shootout.

PSG like the other big state sponsored football project leave me cold. Arsenal will never have an easier route to the final so will carry a lot of regret.

I never joke about referees. Appalling performance from him.

Yeah, missed the Saka handball

So happy to see the anti football played by Arteta not prosper. He got what he deserved with his negative tactics.

Less than 25% possession, and 1 shot on target, and that was after 5min.

No fan of PSG, but at least they play football.