Declan Rice responds to Morgan Rogers message after Aston Villa exit
Aston Villa came within one goal of completing an historic Champions League comeback and Arsenal will be hoping to avoid such drama.
Villa’s quarter-final second leg against PSG was one for the ages, with Unai Emery’s side coming back from 2-0 down in the first half – and 5-1 on aggregate – to score three times and spin the tie on its head.
Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa’s strikes – the latter scoring back-to-back in the 55th and 57th minutes – had PSG on the ropes with their aggregate lead cut to one, but able to see the game out.
With PSG advancing to the semi-finals having survived a valiant Villans effort, Arsenal head to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with a healthy advantage themselves, leading Real Madrid 3-0 after their first leg win.
Declan Rice responds to six-word Morgan Rogers message
Rogers’ opener in the first leg had Villa daring to dream last week in Paris, but PSG’s five straight goals across the two games since had put them in the driving seat to book their spot in the semi-finals.
Villa’s comeback either side of half-time on Tuesday may have been in vain, but the likes of Rogers and Marcus Rashford have seen their stocks rise astronomically across the two legs of their quarter-final.
| CL Team | Score (aggregate) | CL Team |
| Borussia Dortmund | 3-1 (3-5) | Barcelona |
| Aston Villa | 3-2 (4-5) | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Real Madrid | (0-3) | Arsenal |
| Inter | (2-1) | Bayern Munich |
At full-time, Rogers posted on Instagram (15 April) with a message to Villa’s fans, saying: “Just fell short. Couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved! Let’s finish the season strong now.”
Rice, whose Gunners side will be keen to avoid facing a similar comeback from the defending European champions in Madrid, liked the post, while Lamare Bogarde left a comment in support of Rogers.
Arsenal must avoid repeat of Aston Villa comeback
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are even more in the driving seat than PSG were heading into their second leg, leading Madrid by three goals on aggregate and yet to see their defence breaches by Los Blancos.
Rice’s pair of free-kicks at The Emirates – the first of his career – have made the difference for Arsenal so far, but defensive solidity will be the number one focus as the Gunners look to keep Madrid at bay.
Arsenal already have one foot in the semi-finals and plan to go all the way ahead of a significant summer of transfer business for Arteta, but both Villa and Borussia Dortmund’s Lazarus-like displays on Tuesday will ensure they don’t take anything for granted.