Arteta Apologises to Unused Arsenal Players Before Atletico Madrid Win That Sealed Champions League Final Spot

Mikel Arteta has disclosed that he sought out members of his Arsenal squad to apologise before informing them he would be selecting the same starting eleven used in the club’s previous match against Fulham — a conversation that drew an emotional response from the players involved.

According to reports from journalist Fabrizio Romano on X, Arteta described the exchange in his post-match press conference following Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on 6 May 2026. “I went to some of the players and told them: I’m sorry, but I’ll be picking the same lineup against Fulham,” Arteta said. “They said to me, ‘Boss! We’re here whenever you need us,’ and then they hugged me.”

The result secured Arsenal’s place in the Champions League final with a 2-1 aggregate victory over the Spanish side. It marks the Gunners’ first appearance in European football’s showpiece club event since their 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2006 — a wait of two decades.

The decisive moment of the tie came from Bukayo Saka, who capitalised on a significant save by Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak to score the only goal of the second leg, sending the Emirates Stadium into celebration. The victory also extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 11 matches.

Central to Arteta’s selection decision was 19-year-old midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was brought into the starting lineup in place of Martin Zubimendi — a change initially made for the Fulham fixture. Zubimendi had struggled for form in recent weeks, creating an opening for the young Englishman, who impressed sufficiently against Fulham to retain his place for the higher-stakes European tie.

Lewis-Skelly delivered another strong performance against Atletico, providing the Gunners with greater control in midfield and contributing to a more direct, forward-passing game that helped disorganise the Spanish defence. His emergence has been one of the more notable storylines of Arsenal’s Champions League run.

Arsenal will now face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final, which is scheduled to be held in Budapest. The Gunners last lifted the Champions League trophy — then known as the European Cup — in 1994 as the Cup Winners’ Cup, with their only appearance in the Champions League final era coming against Barcelona in Paris in 2006.

The confirmation of Arsenal’s final appearance adds further weight to what has already been a historic campaign for Arteta, who took charge of the club in December 2019. Under his management, Arsenal have been consistent Premier League title contenders and have now reached the pinnacle of European club competition for the first time in a generation.