At a Glance:
- Arsenal were held by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
- The clash at the Wanda Metropolitano was overshadowed by some dubious officiating.
- Marcos Llorente has had his say on Arsenal’s identity.
Arsenal were held by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash, keeping the tie in the balance heading into the second leg next week at the Emirates.
The encounter at the boisterous Wanda Metropolitano was defined by a succession of controversial penalty calls. First, Viktor Gyokeres emphatically dispatched from the spot after being fouled inside the Atletico box, before Julian Alvarez converted from 12 yards after Ben White was adjudged to have blocked a shot with his hand.
Finally, the Gunners were denied a late opportunity to win the first leg when referee Danny Makkelie overturned David Hancko’s trip on Eberechi Eze. Regardless of these frustrating decisions going against the North Londoners, Mikel Arteta will be somewhat pleased to return to N5 with the tie intact.
With that said, here is the latest Arsenal news today, including reactions to this Champions League affair, the VAR controversies and Marcos Llorente.
Reaction to Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal
Arsenal emerged from Spain with a positive result, and the reaction to the performance has largely erred on the optimistic side.
Declan Rice’s display as the Gunners’ deepest midfielder in Arteta’s system has sparked debate, with many feeling it aided the North Londoners’ build-up significantly. The England international dropped into deep spaces to progress the ball, and did so effectively.
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka’s cameo was encouraging. The winger came on for just 22 minutes, and after a period of dealing with some aggressive Atletico defending, he began to exert influence on the game in the latter stages.
Another Arsenal player who emerged from the Metropolitano with credit in the bank was Gyokeres. Aside from scoring the penalty, the Swede was much better creatively and offered the Gunners a much more reliable outlet than he usually does. Arsenal supporters were impressed with Gyokeres.
Champions League semi-final marred by VAR controversy
The clash at the Wanda Metropolitano was ultimately decided by the officials. The game was close, with not much to split the two teams, and thus, the referee’s key decisions were the defining influence.
Unfortunately for Makkelie, the consensus is that he got at least one of these major calls incorrect. While there has been acknowledgement that the White penalty call needed to be made to follow UEFA’s strict handball guidelines, the Eze spot-kick decision has been met with a lot more backlash.
Steven Gerrard felt that Diego Simeone’s antics on the sidelines influenced Makkelie’s decision, while there has been general criticism labelled at the official for seemingly being overwhelmed by the occasion and the hostile home support.
| Stats | Atletico Madrid | Arsenal |
| Goals | 1 | 1 |
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Expected Goals | 2.21 | 1.51 |
| Big chances | 3 | 2 |
Marcos Llorente’s Arsenal verdict
While some Arsenal supporters may have been left somewhat deflated to not emerge from Madrid with a win, Atletico midfielder Marcos Llorente was full of praise for the Gunners. The Spaniard was impressed with Arteta’s team’s resilient identity.
“Everything is still open for the return leg,” Llorente told Mundo Deportivo.
“They won the first half and we won the second. That’s what we have to take away from this. We made things very difficult for them.
“If you don’t take your chances, you end up paying the price. The second half is the path we need to follow. We have to take more risks, going man-to-man and pressing high up the pitch.
“We are two teams with very clear ideas and who know their strengths. Whoever is more efficient will win the match.”
