Mikel Arteta declared that Arsenal’s Champions League triumph against Real Madrid proved they are one of Europe’s heavyweights.
The Gunners followed up their stunning 3-0 win in the first leg of the quarter-final by winning 2-1 in Spain and going through to the last four 5-1 on aggregate.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Arteta said: “We are ready to compete against anybody. Now we have to continue to do that because we have some momentum now.
“We are in the semi-final for only the third time in our history, and I am proud of the manner and the way we did it. Not only by the way we played, but also with the circumstances and the amount of injuries we have had.”
The Real camp appeared to be confident of pulling off a second-leg comeback, but Arsenal were not to be denied.
Bukayo Suka missed a penalty but scored the all-important first goal on the night and Gabriel Martinelli added a late second.
“They are the specialists of creating chaos and belief. But my players showed their own maturity and it is a night to be very proud of,” Arteta said.
Arteta’s team will face Paris St-Germain for a place in the final.