Mikel Arteta reveals what PSG did straight Arsenal Champions League defeat - 'they just told me'

Mikel Arteta has doubled down on his claim that were the best team in the Champions League this season despite exiting the tournament at the semi-final stage to Paris Saint-Germain.

Following a 1-0 defeat in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last week, the Gunners travelled to Paris knowing they had to win inside 90 minutes to keep their European dreams alive.

After Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard came agonisingly close in the first 11 minutes, PSG strengthened their grip on a place in the final with Fabian Ruiz making it 2-0 on aggregate.

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Achraf Hakimi killed the tie not long later before Bukayo Saka did provide a late glimmer of hope for Arsenal. However, it means the Gunners have gone five years without a trophy.

After the game, Arteta went on record to insist his side had been the best team throughout the competition, despite their exit. "I don't think there's been a better team in the competition from what I've seen," he told TNT Sports.

"But we are out. We deserved much more but this competition is about the boxes, the strikers most of the time and the goalkeeper and theirs was the best player in both games.

"I'm so proud of the boys, they deserve lots of credit for what they're doing and the amount of injuries. We arrived here in the worst state. You have to get here with everyone fit and available with lots of minutes. They had a week. We came here in a different context. That gives me a lot of positivity for the future."

Shortly after, Arteta was asked about his comments in his . Questioned whether he thought the best team lost in the tie, he said: "I think so, yeah.

"Especially across 160 minutes. I'm saying that and they are saying that because they just told me that." Asked if the PSG bench told him that, he confirmed: "Yeah."