Mikel Arteta: Arsenal boss says Paris Saint-Germain will be ‘relieved’ Gunners did not 'score two or three' despite semi-final defeat at the Emirates

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left frustrated in the wake of his side's 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Ousmane Dembele's early goal decided the game, but Arteta told TNT Sports it is only "half-time" and that the visitors will be "relieved we didn't score two or three." The Gunners must now turn the tie around next Wednesday.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said Paris Saint-Germain will be "relieved we didn’t score two or three" goals and warned it is only "half-time" in the UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.

An Ousmane Dembele strike after just four minutes sealed a 1-0 win for PSG in the first leg at the Emirates on Tuesday night, handing a big advantage to the French champions ahead of a return leg in front of a home crowd in Paris.

The Gunners mustered a response after a slow start, but their efforts to find a leveller were thwarted by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who produced two sensational stops to deny the hosts.

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An even match leaves the tie wide open ahead of the second leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, May 7, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

"It’s half-time. I said exactly the same message after we beat Real Madrid 3-0 [in the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates]. Go to Paris, win the game, and we are through," Arteta told TNT Sports.

"That’s what we have to do. We saw two teams that are very aggressive, intense, not a lot of margins. Their keeper made two saves that normally are goals and those are the margins you have in these games."

Dembele strikes PSG into third-minute lead as Emirates stunned

Video credit: TNT Sports

PSG started strongly and created numerous chances early on, before Bradley Barcola steered a shot just wide and Goncalo Ramos hit the bar in the second half.

When asked if he was relieved the visitors only scored once, Arteta said: "They have to be relieved that we didn’t score two or three."

• Impressive PSG claim first-leg win over Arsenal after early Dembele strike
• Where are they now? When Campbell heroics led Arsenal to semi-final success over PSG

Arteta identified "finishing the action" as the missing ingredient from his side’s performance on a night where Arsenal had five shots on target from 10 attempts but failed to find a way past Donnarumma.

Addressing where PSG caused problems for his side, Arteta rued PSG’s ruthlessness in front of goal.

"In the first 15 minutes, one action and they get out of our press. The only one, and they scored a wonderful goal with individual quality," he said.

"The rest was especially what we did when we regained the ball. That was the biggest issue."

Before the return leg in Paris next week, Arsenal host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

Highlights: Dembele winner sees PSG overcome Arsenal in first leg

Video credit: TNT Sports

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