LONDON — In a tense, error-strewn quarter-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, Arsenal clung to a narrow first-leg advantage to secure a 0-0 draw with Sporting CP, booking their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 aggregate victory. The north London side’s progression comes despite a deeply underwhelming performance that has renewed questions about their title credentials ahead of a pivotal Premier League showdown with Manchester City this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side will face Atletico Madrid in the last four for a shot at a first Champions League final appearance since 2006. The Spanish side secured their own semi-final spot on Tuesday, edging out Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate. While Arsenal famously hammered Atletico 4-0 at home during the group stage in October, few observers are predicting a repeat performance: the Gunners have now produced a string of disjointed, nervous outings in recent weeks, and will need a drastic improvement to advance to the final.
This run to consecutive Champions League semi-finals is a first in Arsenal’s 138-year history, a milestone that marks clear progress under Arteta. Yet the club’s recent form has been deeply underwhelming: they have won just one of their last five matches across all competitions, dropping points at the worst possible moment as they chase a first Premier League title since 2004 and an unprecedented Champions League crown. As things stand, the Gunners sit six points clear of second-placed Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s side hold a game in hand and will host Arsenal in a title-deciding clash at the Etihad on Sunday.
Flaws that Arteta has yet to fix were on full display against Sporting. A day before the match, the Arsenal manager made an impassioned plea to his players, urging them to take to the pitch with “pure fire” and “zero fear” to silence their critics. But his side failed to deliver on that call. After a brief, energetic pressing spell in the opening 10 minutes failed to yield a goal, Arsenal dropped deep into a defensive shell, lacking both creative cohesion and cutting edge in the final third. The absence of injured star midfielders Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard left the attack sluggish and predictable for much of the 90 minutes.
Center-back William Saliba gifted Sporting an early chance with a wayward pass that let Francisco Trincao curl a shot just wide of the post. Striker Viktor Gyokeres, signed from Sporting in the summer in a £65 million deal, struggled once again to impose himself on the game: his only clear sight of goal, a run into the six-yard box, ended with a last-ditch tackle from Goncalo Inacio before he could get a shot away.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya compounded his side’s struggles with a dangerous misplayed pass that was intercepted by Trincao just outside the penalty area, but the winger’s misplaced pass to Luis Suarez let the Gunners off the hook. On the stroke of half-time, Geny Catamo came inches from leveling the aggregate score, his volley from a tight angle striking the far post and bouncing away to safety. The home crowd, growing increasingly frustrated with their side’s lethargy, greeted most passages of play with anxious groans as the minutes ticked by.
After the break, Eberechi Eze saw a driven shot curl just wide of the post, Gabriel Martinelli blasted an effort over the crossbar, and Noni Madueke’s shot clipped the side-netting, but Arsenal never managed to put together a sustained period of attacking pressure. Arteta made a double substitution to turn the tide, bringing on Kai Havertz for the out-of-form Gyokeres and Max Dowman to replace the injured Madueke. Late on, Sporting had a penalty appeal turned down after a slight shove from Cristhian Mosquera on Maxi Araujo, but the referee waved away their claims.
Despite creaking under sustained late pressure from Sporting, Arsenal held firm to see out the clean sheet they needed to progress. For Arteta, the relief of reaching the semi-finals is tempered by growing questions about his side’s mental and physical resilience: the Gunners have already lost the League Cup final to City, crashed out of the FA Cup to second-tier Southampton, and suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League at the weekend. Having blown substantial title leads to City in each of the past two seasons to finish as runners-up, nerves are already building around the club as they head into Sunday’s title showdown.