Sometimes writing some morning thoughts feels like a slog. Sometimes it just rolls out of my head and on to the page.

Today is one of those (the latter) days.

I was nervous., I’m sure you were nervous. This was Real Madrid. This was the 15 times champions, on their patch, with a solid three days of build up in which everywhere you turned you heard the words

“Remontada“

That’s Spanish for ‘comeback’ and the Madrid-leaning press, the general Spanish press, the players of Real Madrid, the coaching staff, even Ancelotti himself, had all used that word (or at least in Carlo’s case, replied to it when asked by a journalist.

I wonder if the Spanish press were using their long memories to think back to a time in which Arsenal were perennially knocked out of either the last 16 or at least the quarter-finals of the Champions League? Maybe. Perhaps they were just drinking too much of their own cool aid in the belief that Real Madrid on their own patch in this competition were unstoppable. Certainly in attack they will have expected that.

But they didn’t expect two legs of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, certainly not from a defensive organisational point of view they didn’t. And what they got was something we are familiar with – a super organised team with an iron-clad gameplan that the team in black executed to almost perfection.

I say “almost perfection” because, as in football, there are so many variables that can unstitch a well organised set of plans that managers, their coaching staff and then the players lay down. And we saw that within the first half of yesterday evening’s game. Mbappe was a mile offside and even when you looked at it in real time you thought “surely not” after only a few minutes, but he still put the ball in and then you’re instantly looking at the referees. It was an impossible offside to miss, but for a split second, as an Arsenal fan, your heart is in your mouth.

Then there was an opportunity to make this night very special, very early on, as Arsenal got that VAR highlighted penalty from Asensio on Merino. And when you re-watched it, it was clearly an obvious penalty that was missed. In the Premier League that sort of stuff has been happening to us all season and if we play Ipswich on the weekend and that happens in the Ipswich box, there’s no chance it is given, but in this competition we seem to get a greater frequency of decisions go our way. For that we can be thankful. The less said about Saka’s terrible penalty the better. Thankfully, as is the strength of this young mans character, he was to flip that around to become one of the heroes on the night in the second half.

But before we would get to that, there was the small matter of a decision on a penalty to Real Madrid and as Declan Rice got mad for Mbappe’s theatrics as he threw himself to the ground, the rest of the world waited for the extremely lengthy VAR check to take place. It took too long. It’s one of those that sucks the life out of a stadium, but on this occasion, it was for our benefit. Sucking the life out of the stadium was exactly what we needed. And eventually, painfully, the decision went to the monitor and you just know that when that happens, 90% of the time the decision gets overturned. Happy days. A penalty for Madrid there, something for the home crowd to hang their collective hat on for the remainder of the game, could have sparked Madrid in to life. Instead the remainder of the half just petered out and I for one was very happy to see that. “half the job done” I thought to myself.

Except now, in the cold light of the next morning, I realise that the job was basically done in the opening 20 minutes or so. Because by the end of the game even the commentators on TNT Sports were saying it: REal Madrid’s game plan was fundamentally flawed. Arsenal were set up to counter, to be resolute and organised at the back, compact with our two wide forwards tucking in to provide cover for our full backs and even double up when needed. Madrid’s plan was to swing as many balls in to the box as possible. And the excellent Kiwior, Rice, Partey and Saliba, swept up and nodded away all evening.

We created chances in both the first and the second half. We ended the game having had double (six) the amount of chances on target compared to Real Madrid (three). We ceded possession numbers and passion stats to them, but that was as much to do with game state as anything else. We didn’t need to go at them. But we still found ourselves with opportunities and Courtois still made a fair few fine saves. But he couldn’t stop Saka’s finish on 65 minutes. It was good Arsenal play going from back to front, Real Madrid got bodies back, but Saka’s run cross the line of the defence and then in behind as Merino slipped the ball in was timed to perfection. He may have looked silly with his ‘Panenka’ penalty chip in the first half, but this little ‘Panenka’-style flick was in no doubt.

I fist pumped. I yelled. I was jubilant, then paused as I waited for the VAR offside call, which never came. We had a four goal cushion with 25 minutes to go and I started to relax.

If only Big Bill Saliba hadn’t have had that brain-fart moment just a minute later though, eh? It was a kamikaze goal to concede and for a minute or two after that I did have the fear return that we would get the Madrid onslaught.

It never came.

Instead, we managed to win the game outright into injury time and of late we’ve all talked about how good Martinelli’s performances have been, but he’s only got one assist so far since he returned from injury and I think his performances have deserved more. Certainly last night his performance deserved more and so I’m super happy that he got that goal with a fine breakaway finish too. Props to Merino as well for the pass – that’s two assists on the night last night, a goal in the first leg, a goal and an assist against PSV in the away game, as four goals in the Premier League to take his impact as a central striker to six goals and three assists. That’s a fantastic return for a guy who had never played there before and whilst I was unsure of him as a signing at the beginning of the season, whilst I’m still not sure how he fits longer term at the club other than a rotational option, the role he is fulfilling for Mikel Arteta deserves huge credit.

But I have to save the best until last today, boys and girls, because Declan Rice picked up the man-of-the-match award for yet another stunning display in the heart of this midfield. His energy, his power, his ability to travel with the ball, his defensive strength (I mentioned heading the ball away – he did that a number of times last night) is absolutely unmatched. He picked up a yellow card in the Mbappe incident and had that stood and we’d have gone through, we’d have missed him in the next game for sure. But in the penalty being overturned and the yellow being rescinded, we keep what is one of our most important players available for the semi final first leg. Phew. Shame the same can’t be said for Partey, who was silly to pick up a booking for a bit of shoving, but at least we keep Declan for that first leg.

And we get our place in the last four for only the third time in this competition. PSG will be a much tougher opponent, they will stretch us and test us more than any other side. But the belief that will come from this Arsenal team will be massive now. Let’s just hope it carries us through to those games against the French Champions.

I think I’ll leave it there for today. Time to bask in a glorious and historic night, one in which Arsenal will certainly have had plenty of clubs around Europe paying attention too, for which we can all be happy, spending the day soaking up as much content as is humanly possible.

Laters peeps.

P.S. credit to my mate Mark for the pic, as he sent it to our football WhatsApp group last night and I’ve nicked it for my own use. Don’t tell him, he’ll only want royalties or something 😉