Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed a “beautiful” performance from his players after their emphatic 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday night.
Declan Rice scored two stunning free-kicks in the second half to put the Gunners in control at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Merino added a third goal, calmly finishing off a low cross from Myles Lewis-Skelly to give Arsenal a commanding advantage ahead of the second leg in Madrid.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, Arteta praised both his team’s display and the electric atmosphere at the Emirates.
“Beautiful. So happy, so proud of the team. We have the opportunity to make a lot of people proud and we certainly have done that,” he said.
“I’ve never seen the stadium like this. Before the game they were already singing and already playing the game.
“For big European nights you need the big stadiums that create atmosphere and you need individual magic moments and there you go.
“That’s the beauty of whoever invented this sport. We hadn’t scored a free-kick since September 2021. And tonight, against Real Madrid at home in the Champions League, we scored two in 13 minutes.”
The Gunners now carry a strong lead into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, where they will look to secure a place in the semi-finals.