Wayne Rooney blames Arsenal fans after PSG defeat
Wayne Rooney didn’t hold back when slating the Arsenal faithful as Mikel Arteta’s side fell to defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners were unable to make much of an impact against the Ligue 1 champions in front of their home crowd on Tuesday, 29 April, with Ousmane Dembele‘s fourth-minute opener the only goal.
Matters could have been much worse after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was brought down in the penalty area by Jurrien Timber, though referee Slavko Vincic waved away any appeals quite quickly before similarly denying Mikel Merino a penalty at the other end.
After beating Real Madrid rather convincingly across two legs in the quarter-finals, the expectations were high heading into the clash against PSG, but it seems that the supporters were not hyped up enough.
While Rooney admitted that the fans often feed off the players’ energy, he was disappointed by the lack of noise inside the Emirates Stadium and left some rather harsh criticism after the final whistle.
Emirates Stadium far too quiet for Champions League semi-final
Speaking live on Amazon Prime Video (29 April, 10:01pm), Rooney said: “I think for Arsenal, I’m a bit disappointed with how they played and a bit disappointed with the fans as well.
“I think the fans against Real Madrid were excellent and really pushed the team. I thought tonight they were a bit subdued, it was almost like an anti-climax for Arsenal, beat Real Madrid, like they’re going to walk into the final and win the competition.
“The fans had to be there for them tonight and the players had to show up, of course, but I think on both sides it wasn’t good enough for Arsenal.”
Arsenal’s entire season hinges on a trip to the Parc des Princes
Football Insider verdict
Arteta is under pressure to win silverware at Arsenal, with his only achievement coming via the 2019/20 FA Cup since being appointed manager of the Gunners in the same season.
There have certainly been some positive signs, currently being the closest team to Liverpool in the Premier League table, albeit the Reds have just been crowned champions with four matches remaining.
| Arsenal | PSG |
| 48% possession | 52% possession |
| 10 shots (5 on target) | 11 shots (4 on target) |
| 1.65 xG | 1.14 xG |
| 3 big chances missed | 2 big chances missed |
| 3 corners | 1 corner |
With the Premier League trophy out of sight, Arsenal’s tremendous season all comes down to one competition, and they have suffered a setback before heading to the Parc des Princes for the second leg.
Arteta’s side were incredible during both legs against Real Madrid in the previous round, but with the expectations and nerves growing, it seemed to get to the crowd a bit.
The travelling fans on Wednesday, 7 May, will need to have their loudest voices, get behind the team, and pray that the Gunners can overturn the one-goal deficit away from home despite PSG’s amazing form.