Bukayo Saka caused Atlético plenty of problems before providing Arsenal with their vital goal. The Gunners secured a 1-0 win (2-1 on aggregate) to book their place in the Champions League final.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya 7: Always on his toes to launch attacks and came to Arsenal’s rescue when he was needed.
Ben White 7: Looked nervous at times after a poor patch of form but managed to nullify Lookman’s threat.
William Saliba 6: Didn’t put a foot wrong until a careless header almost set up Simeone in the second half.
Gabriel Magalhães 7: Led by example as usual. On another day could have been penalised for a last-ditch recovery tackle on Simeone.
Riccardo Calafiori 7: Arsenal’s agent of chaos was everywhere. Had a couple of sighters, got away with one for a challenge on Griezmann.
Declan Rice 8: Thriving in a deeper role than usual in the last few weeks. Set the tone from the first whistle and produced a brilliant block to stop Simeone scoring.
Myles Lewis-Skelly 8: From third-choice left-back to first-choice central midfielder in the space of a few days. What a transformation.
Leandro Trossard 7: Thought he should have had a penalty at the end of the first half and showed quick feet to get a shot away for goal.
Eberechi Eze 7: Not his most decisive night but is growing in confidence with every game of this competition.
Bukayo Saka 9: Arsenal’s starboy is delivering when it matters most. Caused Atlético plenty of problems before scoring the vital goal.
Viktor Gyökeres 8: Looks much more like a £64m striker these days, even if he should have ended the evening with a goal.
Substitutes
- Piero Hincapié (Calafiori 58): Added energy down the left flank. 7
- Martin Ødegaard (Eze 58): A timely return from injury for the captain. 6
- Noni Madueke (Saka 58): Kept Atlético pinned back. 7
- Martín Zubimendi (Lewis-Skelly 73): Helped see out victory. 6
- Gabriel Martinelli (Trossard 83): n/a
Atlético Madrid Player Ratings
Jan Oblak 5: Will be disappointed not to have done better with the initial shot for Saka’s goal. Shaky with his distribution.
Marc Pubill 6: Started time-wasting from the first throw, although caused Arsenal problems with surging runs from right-back.
Robin Le Normand 4: The French-born Spain defender didn’t relish the physical battle with Gyökeres and looked relieved to be taken out of the line of fire.
David Hancko 6: A less dramatic evening than the first leg but was guilty of playing Saka onside for the crucial goal.
Matteo Ruggeri 5: Coped initially with the unenviable job of marking Saka. Could not prevent him from scoring.
Giuliano Simeone 7: Definitely not in the team just because his dad is the manager. Lively in the first half and unfortunate to be taken off.
Marcos Llorente 5: Provides incessant energy in Atlético’s engine room but couldn’t live with Lewis-Skelly’s raw power.
Koke 7: The man who has played more games than anyone for Atlético gave everything for the cause. His wait goes on.
Ademola Lookman 5: Waited a long time to show what he can do in this competition. Struggled to make an impact.
Antoine Griezmann 5: Still capable of unlocking any defence but showed advancing years are catching up with him ahead of his move to MLS in the summer.
Julián Alvarez 6: Didn’t look 100% fit after coming off in the first leg and had to be withdrawn early again.
Substitutes
- Alexander Sørloth (Simeone, 58): Fluffed a great chance at the end. 5
- Johnny Cardoso (Lookman, 58): Couldn’t lift the tempo. 5
- Nahuel Molina (Le Normand, 58): Also found Gyökeres a handful. 5
- Álex Baena (Griezmann, 66): Almost set up the equaliser. 6
- Thiago Almada (Alvarez, 66): Failed to make an impression. 5
