Mikel Arteta has joked that he wanted to “slap” Bukayo Saka after his early penalty miss against Real Madrid, but hailed the Arsenal star’s swift Bernabeu bounce back.
Leading 3-0 from the first leg after Declan Rice’s pair of sublime free-kicks at the Emirates Stadium last week, the Gunners had the chance to put their high-profile quarter-final tie against the Champions League holders firmly out of reach on Wednesday night after being awarded a 13th-minute spot-kick by French referee Francois Letexier when Mikel Merino was dragged down by Raul Asencio at a corner.
