We made it two wins from two against Real Madrid this season with a 2-1 victory at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli helped us to a 5-1 win on aggregate to advance to the semi-finals after two magnificent performances, and Adrian Clarke has pored over the stats and footage to unearth the keys to our victory in the second leg:
RESTRICTING REAL
The shot count will tell you the 15-time European champions had 18 attempts to our 12, but they created very little of note. Just one big chance fell the Spaniard’s way (we had three) and this was down to a tremendously disciplined collective effort.
After surviving an initial early spell that made the pitch feel more stretched than Mikel Arteta would have preferred, we settled into a lovely 4-3-3 shape that became a 4-5-1-0 out of possession. Dropping Mikel Merino back into midfield as a false nine, we blocked off the central areas expertly.
The hosts subsequently had a lot of the ball out wide, but because they found it so hard to carve us open down the middle, Carlo Ancelotti’s men resorted to a stream of hopeful crosses. Delivering 33 in open play, this was the third highest figure recorded by Real Madrid since 2003/04 in a Champions League game.
Remarkably, in an echo of the past, it was Arsenal’s 1-0 win at the same stadium in 2006 that featured the most crosses from Los Blancos:
| Opponent | Date | Open play crosses |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 21/02/2006 | 37 |
| Atletico Madrid | 24/05/2014 | 34 |
| Arsenal | 16/04/2025 | 33 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 21/10/2020 | 33 |
Inside the danger zone William Saliba was a towering presence. With the ball drawn to him like a magnet at times, the Frenchman made an incredible 12 clearances.
This was the most by an Arsenal player in this competition since Per Mertesacker v Bayern Munich in 2014, who also had 12.
| William Saliba | 12 |
| Jakub Kiwior | 5 |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 5 |
| Mikel Merino | 4 |
While he will have felt disappointment at being robbed by Vinicius Jnr for the home side’s goal, Saliba should be proud of his sterling defensive work. His partner Jakub Kiwior was also immense on the night, winning five of his six duels, in a display that will have enhanced his reputation.
MORE MERINO magic
This was yet another fantastic performance from stand-in striker Mikel Merino. Throughout the game he held the ball up well for supporting runners, and his defensive work from Real Madrid set plays also stood out.
As you can see from this average position/passing network graphic, Merino’s touches (no.23) were often deeper than the midfielders around him:
His key contributions were clearly Merino’s twin assists at the Santiago Bernabeu. For our opening goal he flicked on a header by outjumping two Real Madrid defenders to send Bukayo Saka into the final third:
Then once we moved the ball across the pitch, Merino cleverly dropped off the front to slide Saka in with the most beautifully weighted pass:
Late on, with the home side dispirited, it was another classy through ball for Merino that sent Gabriel Martinelli clear on the counter-attack to seal this historic victory:
When you also factor in his timely and excellent strike in the first leg, Merino’s value to the side across both legs was immense. His composure in the tie’s big moments was exceptional.
KEEPING COOL HEADS
Madrid’s supporters and players threw everything at this second leg in terms of atmosphere, intensity and aggression, yet we stayed cool in this white-hot environment, outlining how much Arteta’s side has matured in recent times.
In central midfield this was exemplified by Thomas Partey and Declan Rice, who both looked after the ball with incredible care under hostile pressure. Partey completed every single pass, with the domineering Rice boasting a 96.2% accuracy.
| Partey | Rice | |
|---|---|---|
| Passes | 21 | 26 |
| Accurate passes | 21 | 25 |
| Pass accuracy | 100% | 96.2% |
On the night we were subjected to numerous fouls and examples of gamesmanship from the La Liga giants, but our temperaments remained calm. Never rushed, and almost always in control of our emotions, this was a streetwise performance packed with sensible game management.
SAKA’S MENTAL TOUGHNESS
Missing a first-half penalty might have derailed some players’ confidence, but Saka brushed off the frustration of seeing his panenka saved by Thibaut Courtois to produce the game’s pivotal moment.
The fact his 65th-minute opener came from another delicate dink sums up his courage on the biggest stage. Saka was arguably our most dangerous player all evening, attempting four shots, one of which was excellently saved by Courtois early on.
His threat down the right earned left-back David Alaba a booking, and as you can see on his match chalkboard, Saka also put in a noteworthy defensive shift. Tracking back deep into his own half, the winger tidied up potentially problematic situations with some diligent off-the-ball endeavour.
Seeing a penalty saved for the first time in 17 attempts will have shocked our number 7, but he recovered from the setback with trademark positivity. His sumptuous finish will live on in Arsenal folklore.
RICE WAS IMPERIOUS
Our first leg hero Declan Rice was just as influential in the Spanish capital, serving up an incredibly commanding performance in the heart of our engine room. Not just trustworthy in possession, our record buy consistently carried the ball towards Real Madrid’s goal when space opened up for him.
This run and pass for Martinelli in the second half was one of several moments where he showcased his box-to-box brilliance:
His defensive work was simply brilliant in this quarter-final second leg. Rice made five interceptions, won both his tackles (below, green), he regained possession a further five times from ball recoveries, and chipped in with three clearances.
The best player on the pitch by some distance, Rice’s quality against Real Madrid over both legs will have catapulted his status across the world game. At the very highest level he has proved he can be supremely influential.
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