Arsenal Stun Atletico Madrid: Gunners Blast Open the Door to a Historic Achievement

Arsenal have reached the Champions League final for the first time in two decades, securing a hard-fought semifinal victory over Atlético Madrid with a 2–1 aggregate scoreline.

Mikel Arteta has joined Arsène Wenger as the only Arsenal managers to guide the club to European football's premier event, though he'll be hoping to improve on the iconic Frenchman's 2006 side, who fell to Barcelona in Paris.

The semifinal was finely poised at 1–1 after last week's opening leg in Madrid, giving Arsenal a marginal edge heading into the return fixture at their home ground.

Bukayo Saka's tap-in on the stroke of halftime proved to be the decisive moment, with Arsenal then delivering a gritty, resolute defensive display to hold on.

The Gunners will now face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in Budapest on May 30. That contest will be settled in Munich on Wednesday, with just a single goal separating the sides on aggregate following last week's thrilling 5–4 victory for PSG.

Two Things We Can't Ignore

Arsenal were forced to dig deep at the back to advance, and two crucial goal-line interventions stood out as moments that could have completely altered the outcome.

Around 11 minutes into the opening half, Declan Rice reacted instinctively to get a toe on the ball just as Giuliano Simeone pounced after Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had spilled a low cross into a dangerous position.

Early in the second half, Simeone was denied again — this time what would have been a leveling goal for Atlético. A misjudged header from William Saliba allowed the winger to bear down on goal, but Gabriel did just enough to put him off his stride. Simeone pleaded for a penalty after being knocked off balance, but a VAR review upheld the referee's original decision to wave play on.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Atlético Madrid (4-3-3)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—8.1: Had relatively little to deal with. Was only called upon for two fairly straightforward saves.

RB: Ben White—7.2: Gave possession away too easily at times and struggled in his individual battles.

CB: William Saliba—7.6: One poorly judged header nearly gifted Simeone an equalizer, but the Frenchman was commanding for the most part.

CB: Gabriel—7.1: Produced a vital goal-saving block at a crucial moment shortly after the interval.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori—6.6: Effective in aerial duels, but less convincing on the ground. Eager to push forward.

CM: Declan Rice—7.7: Produced a match-saving tackle after 11 minutes and covered enormous ground throughout. A driving force for his side.

CM: Myles Lewis-Skelly—6.8: Retained his unexpected starting berth from the weekend ahead of Martín Zubimendi. Composed in possession in central areas. Offered little going forward, aside from one dribble and cross in the first half that found no taker.

RM: Bukayo Saka—7.8: Continued to build his fitness with more minutes. Struggled to leave his mark on the game before finding the net — though that hardly mattered in the end.

AM: Eberechi Eze—6.7: Atlético were quick to shut down the pockets of space he thrives in, limiting his ability to influence proceedings.

LM: Leandro Trossard—7.7: Attempted to win a penalty with a soft tumble under pressure from Antoine Griezmann in the first half, but played a significant part in Arsenal's opening goal.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—5.7: Put in the legwork with his runs in behind, one of which indirectly contributed to Arsenal's goal. However, that only goes so far for a leading striker, as he wasted a golden opportunity to put the tie beyond doubt in the second half.

SUB: Piero Hincapié (58' for Calafiori)—6.6: A straight swap at left back.

SUB: Martin Ødegaard (58' Eze)—6.8: Not considered ready to start.

SUB: Noni Madueke (59' for Saka)—6.7: Saka was limited to just an hour on the pitch.

SUB: Martín Zubimendi (74' for Lewis-Skelly)—6.2: Injected fresh energy into the midfield.

SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (83' for Trossard)—N/A

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Tommy Setford (GK), Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard, Max Dowman, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz.

What These Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain Arsenal's Historic Night