“He won’t sleep for two or three nights” - Martin Keown delivers verdict on Arsenal star’s performance in loss to PSG
Martin Keown believes Arsenal star Bukayo Saka will have sleepless nights after missing an open goal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Gunners exited the competition after losing 2-1 at the Parc des Princes, culminating in a 3-1 aggregate loss across two legs.
Unlike the first leg, it was Mikel Arteta's men who started the game strongly, but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s brilliance between the sticks kept the Parisians ahead in the early exchanges. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for the hosts against the run of play in the 27th minute, and Achraf Hakimi doubled their lead in the 72nd minute.
Saka pulled one back for the Gunners in the 76th minute but missed a sitter a few minutes later, which would have set up a nervy ending in Paris.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Martin Keown said Bukayo Saka’s miss will haunt him for the next two to three nights.
“It was a painful miss. It will hurt Saka. He won’t sleep for two or three nights. But he can be proud of his performance—he was causing major problems all night.”
Saka has arguably been Arsenal’s best player this season, with the most goal contributions (26) for the club.
“It just wasn’t meant to be’’ – Declan Rice on Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to PSG
Arsenal’s elimination from the 2024-25 Champions League now means they will go a fifth consecutive season without winning a major trophy. Mikel Arteta’s men were the best in almost all attacking statistics on the night, but to their chagrin, they had nothing to show for it.
Reacting to the loss, Declan Rice admitted that the team was absolutely gutted but promised to keep pushing and believing. He told TNT Sports:
“We gave it everything; it just wasn’t meant to be. In this competition, you’re either in or you’re out. Over the two legs, we could have scored more, but their keeper was unbelievable.
“Sometimes you have to lose a few to win and overcome setbacks to grow. We’re going through that now, in both the league and Champions League. We’re growing as a team, and we have to keep pushing and believing. We’re absolutely gutted, but this doesn’t define us—we’ll be stronger when our injured players return.”
The English midfielder added to Arsenal’s quest for a trophy:
“We’re all desperate for it. That’s why we play football—to win trophies. We’ve been close, but it hasn’t happened yet, and it’s not good enough. Arsenal should be pushing for and winning trophies. A lot of great players have suffered defeats before going on to win. This hurts, you see it in the boys and the manager. We wanted to be in Munich, but this doesn’t define us—we’ll be back.”
The Gunners will now turn their attention to the Premier League, with their next match against Liverpool on Sunday, May 11.
