PSG loss left Arsenal players in tears, Arteta says

Arsenal players were left in tears after Wednesday's 2-1 semi-final loss at Paris St Germain knocked them out of the Champions League, manager Mikel Arteta said in a post-match press conference.

The North London side, who lost 1-0 at home in the first leg of the tie last week, are set to finish the season without a trophy, having lost the Premier League title race to Liverpool last month after exits from the FA Cup and the League Cup earlier this year.

Arsenal, who have won one FA Cup title and two Community Shields since Arteta took over in December 2019, are in a race to finish second in the English top-flight league for the third season in a row.

“Today I see how much they want it because they were in tears," Arteta said. “This squad, two years ago, nobody believed that we could even probably qualify for the Champions League, not even think that we could finish second and compete in the league.

"Perhaps the amount of points that we had in any other year, you are champions. But the reality at the end is you need something to lose and that trophy with all the work that we do and the disappointment is we don’t have them."

Arteta's men, who sit three points above third-placed Manchester City, visit Liverpool on Sunday.