Arsenal’s journey to Saturday’s Champions League final in Budapest has been one of the most dominant campaigns in the competition’s recent history. Unbeaten across 14 matches, 11 wins and three draws – Mikel Arteta’s side have not put a foot wrong in Europe all season.
League phase – Flawless from start to finish
Arsenal took 24 points from a possible 24 in the league phase – the only side in the competition to win every group game. Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Atletico Madrid and Slavia Prague all failed to score against them.
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The standout result was a 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich at the Emirates – revenge for the German club’s quarter-final elimination of Arsenal two seasons earlier.
A 3-0 win at Club Brugge and a 3-1 victory away at Inter Milan – last season’s finalists – confirmed Arsenal as the competition’s most formidable side. They finished top of the league phase by a significant margin.
Round of 16 – Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 on aggregate
Arsenal faced the Bundesliga’s most consistent side of recent years and produced a composed two-legged display. Kai Havertz, facing his former club, made his mark on the tie with a decisive contribution as Arsenal progressed 3-1 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals – Sporting CP 0-1 on aggregate
The tightest passage of the campaign. Havertz again proved the difference in the first leg, latching onto a Gabriel Martinelli cross to poke home the only goal of an otherwise hard-fought encounter. A goalless draw in Lisbon was enough to send Arsenal through.
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Semi-finals – Atletico Madrid 1-2 on aggregate
Arsenal faced the side that had ended PSG’s hopes in last season’s semi-finals and produced a composed two-legged performance. A 1-1 draw in Madrid set up a tense second leg at the Emirates. Bukayo Saka’s 44th-minute strike settled it, giving Arsenal a 1-0 win on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.
The victory made Arsenal the first side in Champions League history to go 14 consecutive European matches unbeaten. They arrive in Budapest having not lost a single game in Europe this season. PSG, the defending champions, await on Saturday.
Photo: Reuters/Paul Childs
