Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his side “was prepared to write their own history” after the thrashing of 15 times Champions League winners Real Madrid in the first stage of the quarterfinals of this season.
Arsenal continued their winning run against Los Blancos, after eliminating them in the last 16 in their only earlier meeting in 2006, with a stunning performance and result at the Emirates that Paul Merson labeled best in the 19-year history of the stadium.
Speaking after the 3-0 win, Arteta left little doubt about the size of the result.
“If you have not played this team for 20 years, you've not had a good run in this competition, you must be willing to write your own history,” he said.
“It is on this kind of nights that you can write your own history. It came from the collective and individual quality of our players. And now we have much more to give.”
Arteta sounded a remark of caution and repeatedly reminded his players – and the wider world – it was still “half -time” in the draw prior to the second stage of next week in the Bernabeu.
“We are going to enjoy the victory, but we know it is the peace and we will have to be even better in Madrid,” he added. 'I was very convinced [this could happen]. I could feel in the structure that we could cause many problems.
“But you have to let it happen. If you have that mentality and conviction that it can happen, you can deliver it. We did that but it is only the peace.”
The Arsenal -Baas said that both the collective version of his side as “moments of Magic” had been the difference in the night, and emphasized the double of Declan Rice – his first direct goals of free kicks – but revealed that his dead Ball -Dimality was in the making for a long time.
“Declan is very determined because we have said in recent months that we have not scored no direct free kick in three and a half years,” he said.
“So, to score two goals in 12 minutes of that size and that quality of the same player, a player who has never scored a free kick in his career, what are the chances?
“This night was about two factors; one is the atmosphere that we made 15 minutes before the start with something that I have never seen before. And then the magic, the individual moments that determine all competitions. And the first two goals of Declan summarize the night.”
Ancelotti: We struggled physically and mentally
Carlo Ancelotti did few punches in his assessment of his team's performance after sending three goals in 17 second half minutes to give Real Madrid a huge task on the second stage in the second stage next week.
The Vetera boss, who has won more Champions League medals as a manager than anyone else, admitted that Real had not responded after he had fallen behind on Rice's free kick – and was left to look frustrated because they do not comply with any reactions after the third of Mikel Merino.
“It was very difficult for us. We thought the team was strongly in play, we were organized in the first half,” he said.
“When after the two goals we admitted out of free kicks, the team struggled mentally and physically. The level dropped.
“It was difficult, it was the game that way. Normally this team increased their game towards the end of the games, it was disappointing and bad.
“We must be critical of ourselves here and do everything we can recover next week.”
Given the Realback record in Europe in recent years, questions will be asked whether they can still produce a historic night in the Bernabeu next week, but Ancelotti has done little to increase the expectation that his side went to the semi-final after such a bruising first leg.
“The possibilities are quite low, but we have to try 100 percent and do everything we can,” he said.
“It is an opportunity to show a response to a pure game.”