Mikel Arteta salutes Gabriel for ‘magic moment’ – but did Arsenal benefit from VAR mistake as Atletico Madrid fume

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Mikel Arteta praised defender Gabriel Magalhaes for a last-ditch intervention against Atletico Madrid which helped Arsenal secure a 2-1 aggregate win to reach their first Champions League final in 20 years.

'Amazing evening' - Arteta hails Arsenal fans, players after reaching UCL final

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Leading at the break through Bukayo Saka's 44th-minute strike from close range, The Gunners survived two scares early in the second period when the visitors felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty.

A misplaced header from William Saliba enabled Giuliano Simeone to nip in front of David Raya but Gabriel got back to put the midfielder off his stride and affect his wayward shot.

The Atletico players appealed for a penalty but, after VAR review, referee Daniel Siebert stuck with his on-field decision to award a corner.

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Not long after that incident, there was a further flash point when Siebert awarded a free-kick for a foul on Gabriel by Marc Pubill inside the Arsenal box just before Riccardo Calafiori caught Antoine Griezmann.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone was incensed by the decision in what proved a significant moment in a game of few clearcut opportunities - but Arteta chose to focus on the sharp anticipation of his centre-back in thwarting the danger on two occasions.

"It was unbelievable, as that was probably the only action that they had," Arteta told TNT Sports. "But there are moments in the Champions League. In those moments, somebody has to deliver a magic moment and Gabriel again delivered that."

‘Protests waved away’ – Gabriel challenge on Simeone goes unpunished

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Unsurprisingly, Atletico did not share the same view as Arteta - with VAR Bastian Dankert seeing no clear and obvious error from his German compatriot to overturn the decision, deeming Simeone to have mis-hit his shot before Gabriel cleared the ball rather than fouling him.

Arsenal will now face the winner of the second semi between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Arteta's side are 14 games unbeaten in the competition - a club record - while they are still to concede a goal in open play in the knockouts. It is nine clean sheets and counting in Europe this term.

Arteta has craved the type of frenzied atmosphere witnessed on Tuesday for many years. The Spaniard has talked previously about wanting to weaponise the Arsenal fanbase and here it was in all its fury, from the moment the players were given a rousing reception upon arrival.

Highlights: Arsenal reach UCL final after Saka winner downs Atletico

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"It was an amazing evening, right from the start," Arteta added. "The way our supporters received the team outside the stadium, the moment you step inside and you can sense the energy.

"You can sense the passion and what it means to everyone involved in the club tonight, and then the result brings so much joy and happiness. Sometimes, it's tough as you can make people sad when you have the responsibility to make them happy.

"But this was wonderful. I've not seen anything like it. We didn't want to allow them to breathe from the start. We wanted them to feel the pressure right from the very beginning.

"Obviously, the crowd was right behind us, and when we're connected in that manner, it's very difficult for the opponent.

"Tomorrow, we will make sure that everyone gets checked [following the game] and then we will have a beautiful dinner watching the game and our next opponent in the Champions League final, then we will start to prepare for West Ham as it's going to be a really tough match."

Raya: It's a dream come true

This was their 30th clean sheet of the season in all competitions, with David Raya largely untroubled. Declan Rice made a big block in the first half but Atletico struggled to build momentum during the second half as the hosts expertly wound down the clock, to the annoyance of Simeone.

It brought another milestone as this was the 41st victory of Arsenal's season - a new record for the most number of wins in a single campaign - but now they must summon the energy for five more across the next three-and-a-half weeks.

"It's a dream come true," Raya told TNT Sports. "It's been 20 years since this club played in the final, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm proud of the way we've competed in every single game in the Champions League. It's a remarkable achievement.

'I've never seen the Emirates like this' - Raya praises fans after 'incredible' win

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"I've never seen the Emirates like this, especially on the way into the ground. Credit to the fans, we have to thank them a lot, they were right behind us and they gave us the extra energy that we needed.

"We needed this place rocking and it was so special to play in front of them. It's so good to have Bukayo [Saka] back. We know how important it is for the team and for the fans to have him back, he's scored two big goals in the space of two games so it's a credit to him.

He added of Wednesday's showdown in Bavaria: "We love watching the Champions League, so obviously we'll watch the game but we have to be focused on ourselves. We'll have time to enjoy tonight and then we have to start to think about Sunday [against West Ham]."

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