Arsenal kept their quadruple dreams alive on Tuesday evening, defeating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at home in the Champions League round of 16 second leg.
The Gunners knew they would have to win the second leg one way or another to progress having drawn the first leg. Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice scored the goals that secured Arsenal’s place in the final eight.
The result ensures Arsenal is still alive in all competitions, at least until Saturday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. Following the victory over Leverkusen, Arsenal manager Arteta heaped special appreciation on one of his goal scorers.
“He was immense,” the Spaniard stated of Declan Rice. “Him and the entire team – I just described the squad’s soul; I think the way they go for each ball, the emotion they exhibit, and the reaction is extraordinary. “Doing it every three days at that level is extremely difficult.”
When asked about the mood inside the Emirates Stadium and whether the late win over Everton over the weekend helped, Arteta replied, “I thought the atmosphere was really good from the start.” I assumed they would be able to sense it once they left. It was one of those nights where they were extremely upbeat with the team, and the team’s reply definitely provided them even more reasons to behave in this manner.
“So, yes, that’s exactly what we need, the last two games are the standards that we need to help us achieve what we want.”
Arsenal’s late triumph over Everton, as well as their Champions League victory, have set them up perfectly for the Carabao Cup final this weekend, when they will hope to capture their first trophy of the season.
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