Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta commended Declan Rice for his ‘outstanding’ display during their victory over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

In what can only be described as a monumental evening for Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta was positively glowing after his side triumphed over Real Madrid to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. The Gunners knocked out the defending champions with a commanding aggregate score of 5-1, thanks in no small part to the “immense” performance of Declan Rice.

Arsenal arrived at the iconic Bernabeu with a comfortable 3-0 lead, a result bolstered by Rice’s stunning free-kick goals in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. The second leg saw Arsenal clinch a 2-1 victory in Madrid, with goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, despite Saka’s earlier penalty miss.

Rice was at the heart of the action throughout the match, even finding himself at the centre of controversy when he was penalised for an alleged foul on Kylian Mbappe. However, the referee and VAR overturned the decision, much to the relief of the Arsenal bench. His contributions were so significant that he was named UEFA player of the match in both legs of the tie, a testament to his influence on the pitch.

Arteta was full of praise for Rice, stating, “I think tonight he was immense. I think he turned the game around. The moment the game was 50/50, he got the ball and he turned the game. I think he was immense today. He made a difference in the tie.”

Reflecting on the achievement of defeating the reigning champions in their own backyard, Arteta remarked, “It’s one of the best nights in my football career, for sure. A really special one. We played against the team with the biggest history, which has been an inspiration for all of us in this competition. To be able to win the tie, in the manner that we’ve done it, I think we have to be really proud of ourselves.”

He continued, “Fortunately, a lot of things went for us, apart from Bukayo missing the penalty, but I think overall we did what we had to do to win the game. We are really hungry, we want more. It’s a really young team that is very determined and all these experiences, including me for sure, is going to help us achieve something big.”

With this victory, Arsenal now face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, a team that Arteta knows well from his playing days. PSG advanced past Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, and while Arsenal have already bested the French side this season, Arteta is aware that they will present a different challenge in the knockout stages.

“Anything can happen in this competition. They’re an incredible team. I know the manager, Luis Enrique, really, really well. Let’s enjoy tonight and then start to think about that one soon. The mindset is going to be to prepare well and go through. We want to be in that final. We’re going to have to do a lot of good things against that team, but we are certainly capable of doing it.”