Arsenal have reached the Champions League final for the first time in two decades – with Mikel Arteta’s genius tactical decision at the centre of their win
21:54, 05 May 2026Updated 21:58, 05 May 2026
(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Arsenal have reached the final of the Champions League after their starboy, Bukayo Saka, shot them into the stratosphere.
The Gunners needed just one goal, just as they did in Madrid six days earlier, to move within touching distance of a first European crown. It was not pretty, and it never needed to be – it was about getting the job done.
And in the space of 24 hours that could come to define their season, Mikel Arteta saw his side take a giant step towards Premier League glory after Manchester City dropped points – before delivering a tactical masterclass to outmanoeuvre Diego Simeone.
Bukayo Saka netted the only goal of the game(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Viktor Gyokeres had a slow start at the Gunners, but his Arsenal jersey is starting to fit better and better each week as the giant Swede dictated the game for large periods.
Arsenal’s No.9 bullied the Atletico defence with a blend of strength and pace. He was central to the opener too, a clever run splitting the Spanish backline and leaving Jan Oblak in two minds.
Gyokeres cut the ball back to Leandro Trossard, whose effort eventually fell kindly for Saka to bundle home.
Viktor Gyokeres was central to the win(Image: John Walton/PA Wire)
However, Atletico upped the tempo in the second-half, and the Gunners were suddenly chasing shadows as Giuliano Simeone capitalised on William Saliba’s error to knock the ball past David Raya.
The goal was empty, but Gabriel did just enough to put off Simeone. who was insistent he should have been awarded a penalty. Gabriel seemed to pull him back in the replay, and didn’t get a touch on the ball, but VAR waved away the check.
If that decision frustrated Atletico, what followed moments later left them furious. Antoine Griezmann went down under a challenge from Riccardo Calafiori inside the box, only for appeals to be dismissed again.
The Emirates Stadium believes they can end their trophy drought (Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Atleti were in full flow and Arsenal looked rattled – until a curious intervention from Diego Simeone. The Argentine withdrew both Griezmann and Julian Alvarez, blunting his side’s momentum.
Sensing the shift, Arsenal pushed back. They refused to retreat, pressing high and regaining control as Gyokeres spurned a chance to seal it. It was tense, scrappy, and at times uncomfortable. But Arsenal held on.
But, after two long decades, they are back in the Champions League final.
Now, Mikel Arteta and his players have the chance to rewrite history – and finally banish the ghosts of Paris in 2006.