Arsene Wenger responds to Arsenal celebrations after Atletico Madrid win | Football

Arsene Wenger defended Arsenal’s ‘absolutely normal’ celebrations after their Champions League semi-final win over Atletico Madrid but urged the players to quickly ‘focus’ on tasks ahead.

Arsenal beat Atletico 2-1 on aggregate to reach their first Champions League final since 2006.

The first leg in Madrid finished 1-1 and Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal at the Emirates Stadium to send Arsenal into the final, which will be held on May 30 in Budapest.

The full-time whistle sparked jubilant scenes inside the Emirates, with the Arsenal squad continuing to celebrate for some time in front of their delighted supporters.

Some rival fans were quick to question the celebrations and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney even suggested they were slightly over the top.

Reacting to the scenes at the Emirates Stadium, Rooney – a Champions League winner with United in 2008 – told Prime Video: ‘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.’

But legendary Arsenal manager Wenger described the celebrations as ‘absolutely normal’ and was pleased to see the players and fans express their delight.

However, he reminded the squad that ‘the next step’ for them is to win their first Champions League ahead of a final against either PSG or Bayern Munich.

‘I think Arsenal wanted wanted it a bit more than Atleti and they were more decisive in the duals,’ Wenger said on beIN SPORTS.

‘We said before the game that to go to the final they needed to be strong defensively and they didn’t concede a goal tonight.

‘They played a team who for 45 minutes absolutely needed to score a goal and they didn’t give them a chance.

‘I believe it shows how strong Arsenal are defensively and how disciplined they are, as well a bit the limitations of Atletico, who were not good enough in the final third.

‘In the end it’s a well-deserved win for Arsenal, there’s no doubt they were the better team over the two legs.

‘They celebrate well tonight which is normal but you want to focus already on the final and the next games.

‘The celebration is deserved and happiness is normal – absolutely normal – but the next step is to go to the final and win in.’

After becoming the first Arsenal manager since Wenger to reach a Champions League final, Mikel Arteta said: ‘It’s an amazing night to live this kind of moment with the players and everyone at the club, it’s an incredible feeling.

‘It makes sense with all of the things we do and we go through and I see so many happy faces and proud of what we’re doing.

‘It was unbelievable right from the beginning – the supporters waiting for us outside the stadium, the energy and passion that they put in so it was just great to win this.

‘They set the standards and we’ve tried to catch up with them. We struggled so many years to give that joy back and the pride in their eyes was beautiful to watch.’

Before focussing on the Champions League final Arsenal will look to clinch their first Premier League title in 22 years.

The Gunners boast a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City ahead of their next game, a trip to London rivals West Ham on Sunday.

Man City failed to close the gap to just three points on Monday night as they were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Everton.

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