Mikel Arteta hails “landmark” UCL win but Arsenal dealt injury concern

Mikel Arteta called Arsenal's “milestone” win the best Champions League performance of his reign.

Incredibly, it was Arsenal's first away win in Europe in thirteen months and also their first goal in the competition in their last five games. It was also Sporting Lisbon's first defeat of the season.

Arsenal made it a five-star show with goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard to prove they can be real challengers. Asked if this was the best Champions League win of his tenure, Gunners boss Arteta said: “Definitely. Especially against the opponent we played in their house. I don't think they've lost here in 18 months.

“They were in top form, they were better than anyone they have played here. To play at that level with the fluidity we did today, I am very satisfied.

“The performance was there a few times when we played against big teams. We played against PSG and were exceptional again. We played against Bayern and were exceptional. But we made some mistakes and that cost us a lot of money.

“That is the level. We have to be able to handle it. You have to make it happen. That creates belief. We need that consistency because the ability is there. It is a big achievement, a big victory and we are very happy.”

Arteta said Arsenal's win was a sign they are getting their players fit again, but then revealed Gabriel left injured and that will be a concern for the Gunners before they visit West Ham on Saturday. Arteta added: “We don't know about Gabriel. We had to make the change because he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. We had to get him out.

“It is true that we still manage certain players. The level leaves no doubt that if we have the availability we will be a very good team.”