Mikel Arteta couldn’t hide his respect for Ousmane Dembele after the Paris Saint-Germain winger’s stunning goal handed Arsenal a 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.
The game was finely balanced until Dembele produced a flash of brilliance to separate the sides. Despite Arsenal crowding the area with seven players, the French international managed to wriggle free and fire home what turned out to be the match-winner at the Emirates.
Speaking after the match, Arteta acknowledged the challenge his team faced against such individual quality and gave credit where it was due.
“That is always the danger, credit to them. They get out of a situation that is close.
We had seven players behind the ball and they were clinical, sometimes you just have to recognise the talent of the individual,” Arteta stated.
The Gunners will need a response in the return leg at Parc des Princes on May 7, with everything still to play for in this high-stakes European tie.
