We made 140-year history — Arteta raves after matching Arsene Wenger's record

Mikel Arteta has placed significant emphasis on his team’s historic achievement, following the 0-0 draw against Sporting, which secured a 1-0 aggregate victory and a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

 This triumph marks the first time in the club’s 140-year history that they have reached the final four of Europe’s premier competition in consecutive seasons, and Arteta ensured to shine light on his team’s milestone.

Speaking after the match, Arteta emphasised the magnitude of the achievement, stating:

"It's a massive moment. It's the first time in our history, in 140 years, that we are on back-to-back semi-finals, so to be part of those four teams is something very special. You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work. Gratitude to the players.”

“We are making steps that haven't been done in this club for 140 years, the players deserve credit for what they're doing. What I love is the ownership the players took after the defeat here against Bournemouth. 

“They sat together, they analysed it, they said things face-to-face. They act on it. At the end you have to do it on the pitch. We can talk in the dressing room. We can talk beautiful things, but we need to put those words into action, and we certainly done that tonight."

The progression to the semi-finals represents only the fourth time in Arsenal’s history they have reached this stage, with half of those appearances coming under Arteta’s stewardship in the last 12 months. 

Prior to this era, the Gunners reached the semi-finals just twice: in 2005/06, where they eventually lost the final to Barcelona, and in 2008/09, where they were eliminated by Manchester United. 

Arsenal entered the knockout rounds with historic momentum, becoming the first team in the competition’s history to finish the league phase with a perfect 24-point haul from eight matches. 

Now set to face Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, the North London side aims to surpass last season’s "bus stop" and finally clinch their first-ever Champions League trophy.