Arsenal erupted into a sea of celebrations after they beat Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final, but Wayne Rooney was not impressed by their reaction
Wayne Rooney has accused Arsenal of celebrating too much after they overcame Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final. The Gunners reached the final stage in Budapest by overcoming Diego Simeone’s side 1-0.
Bukayo Saka’s instinctive goal from a rebound was enough to secure a 2-1 aggregate triumph in the last four. After Mikel Arteta’s side dug deep to hold onto their slender lead, the Emirates Stadium burst into a wave of celebration and emotion.
Arsenal players, coaches and staff members ran onto the pitch and embraced, as the stadium burst into jubilation. While the scenes were enough to bring goosebumps, the former England captain was not too impressed by the celebrations.
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While working on Amazon Prime, Rooney, starting with Saka, said: “I thought he was very good tonight. I thought Arsenal tonight were very efficient in their performance.
“They got the goal and defensively, I thought they were brilliant, the two central defenders were excellent. They deserved it, they’ve played well all season, in the Premier League and the Champions League, they deserve to be in this position.
As the camera continued panning to celebrating Arsenal supporters and players, Rooney then sniped: “They haven’t won it yet. I think the celebrations are a little bit too heavy. Celebrate when you win…but no, they deserve it.”
It’s possible Rooney, who won the Champions League and reached three finals in his career, was being tongue-in-cheek with his comment. However, even if his comment was played over the speaker system, it would not have prevented the celebratory mood in north London.
This evening was the first time Arsenal have reached the Champions League final since the 2006 showpiece event. They lost that clash 2-1 to Barcelona in a heart-breaking final in Paris, 20 years ago.
Gunners fans may still have nightmares of Thierry Henry hitting a close range effort straight at Victor Valdes. They may also have flashbacks of Juliano Belletti running down the right and sliding a low effort off the inside of Manuel Almunia’s leg and into the back of the net.
Last season, the Gunners were beaten by PSG in the semi-final, who went on to win the title by destroying Inter Milan 5-0. They may even be pitted against Luis Enrique’s side in the final.
They hold a narrow 5-4 lead over Bayern Munich, with Vincent Kompany’s team playing host to the reigning European champions in the second-leg on Wednesday evening. Somehow, Arteta’s players will have to somehow park their celebrations and focus back on the Premier League.
The Gunners’ week started with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dropping two points against Everton by drawing 3-3 on Merseyside. Arsenal travel to east London to face West Ham United in a must win match.
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
