Back-to-back semi-finals 

©TM/IMAGO

It was far from a classic in North London but the majority of Arsenal fans couldn’t care one iota as they booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Kai Havertz’s dramatic late-winner in the first-leg of the quarter-final against Sporting CP in Lisbon ultimately proved decisive after the second leg ended goalless in North London. According to Opta, the combined xG in the game of 0.93 was the lowest combined tally from any Champions League game this campaign but in truth, Arsenal were pretty comfortable.

There were still some nervy moments but Mikel Arteta’s men got the job done with the immediate attention turning to the potential title decider against Manchester City on Sunday. Arsenal will face Atlético Madrid in the last four of the Champions League and they’ll be favourites to progress to the final in Budapest. Impressively, Arsenal have now reached back-to-back semi-finals in the most prestigious club competition and Arteta’s record deserves the utmost respect.

The best managerial records in Champions League history

We’ve utilised Transfermarkt’s unrivalled database to calculate which managers have the best points per game record in Champions League history – since it was rebranded from the European Cup ahead of the 1992/93 campaign. And Arteta boasts the fourth best ppg record of all-time at 2.17 from his 36 games. The Spaniard has won 24 games, drawn six and lost six in the competition since he took charge of his first Champions League game in 2023 against Lens.

As the graphic above illustrates, Hansi Flick, Vincent Kompany and Jupp Heynckes are the three managers with a better points per game record in the competition – they all managed at Bayern Munich. Arteta has unquestionably transformed Arsenal since his appointment with the main cloud hanging over him the inability to win trophies, but that could change this season. Speaking on the win, the Arsenal boss said: “My message was gratitude. We’ve done something that has never been done in the history of the club. We did it while missing players. Credit to the supporters.We will have two magical nights, one in Madrid and one here.”