MIKEL ARTETA was preaching fire and brimstone, urging Arsenal’s supporters to ‘bring their boots’.
In response, they turned the Emirates into a seething cauldron of white noise and Arteta’s men worked their wotsits off with a workrate bordering on mania.
And yet it wasn’t enough because none of that sound and fury is a substitute for class.
Because here were a team of nearly men, operating without a striker, the best taking on the finest team in Europe, who won this semi-final first leg through an early Ousmane Dembele strike but could have won by more.
Paris St Germain have now defeated all four of the English clubs in this season’s Champions League and unless Arsenal can conjure a minor miracle in the Parc des Princes next Wednesday, Luis Enrique’s men will reach the final in Munich on May 31.
At their best, as in the first half-hour of this semi-final first leg, PSG purr like Enrique’s Barcelona side which ruled Europe back in 2017.
Arsenal aren’t bottlers or chokers or any of those casual insults which are often tossed at them.
They simply aren’t as good as PSG. Just as they aren’t as good as Liverpool. Just as they weren’t as good as Manchester City during the final two races.
Even if their centre-forwards, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus had been fit and even if Gabriel had been able to partner William Saliba at the heart of defence.
Sure, Mikel Merino had an ‘equaliser’ ruled out for offside soon after half-time but PSG squandered two clear cut chances to kill them off late on.
This was a clash between the two most famous clubs in Europe never to have been European champions.
For Arsenal, a first Champions League semi-final in 16 years. For PSG, a chance to add another English scalp to their list of Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Arteta, not usually one for press-conference soundbites, had Arsenal’made that order for Arsenal’s supporters to ‘bring your boots’.
And there was something about the way the French champions had wilted at a raucous Villa Park a fortnight ago – when a 5-1 aggregate lead turned into a nervy 5-4 quarter-final win – which suggested they might be vulnerable in a hostile environment.
Arteta was up on the big screen too before kick-off, urging his fans to demand every refereeing decision.
Yet all of that fighting talk was rendered pretty meaningless after just three and a half minutes.
Dembele was granted the freedom of the Emirates to sprint forward from midfield, feed Khivicha Kvaratskhelia, then collect the Georgian winger’s cut-back to steer his shot in off the far post.
Nobody had challenged PSG’s leading scorer as he ran forward and nobody had bothered to mark him when he scored.
Didn’t they get the ‘bring your boots’ memo?
Thomas Partey’s suspension meant Merino had to return to the day job in midfield after a successful stint as a false nine, with Leandro Trossard at centre-forward.
But Trossard was swiftly booked for tripping Achraf Hakimi on the break.
Paris were looking irresistible early on – the speed of their passing and movement was mesmeric, Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue were dribbling their hearts out.
The unpronounceable Georgian was terrorising Jurrien Timber who survived a very decent penalty shout and then somehow avoided a booking for kicking the winger up in the air.
Enrique’s side had been beaten here 2-0 in the group stage seven months ago but they have evolved considerably since then.
Doue had a shot smartly saved by David Raya, with Fabian Ruiz striking the post with his follow-up only to be flagged offside.
Arsene Wenger, who never won a European trophy during more than two decades as Arsenal boss, was making a rare visit to the Emirates and he’d have approved of the visitors’ eye-candy football.
The faithful were howling for a penalty when Merino was robbed by Joao Neves but it had been an excellent, clean saving tackle.
There was an increased urgency about Arsenal in the ten minutes before half-time, exemplified by Martinelli making a crossfield dash to dispossess William Pacho, Saka then drifted left and centred but Martinelli was unable to stretch far enough to apply the finishing touch.
Saka was booked for kicking the ball away, seething at being penalised for a soft foul on Nuno Mendes when he was almost clean through.
And in injury-time, Myles Lewis-Skelly burst forward from midfield and fed Martinelli, whose shot was pushed out by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Just 90 seconds into the second half, Arsenal thought they had equalised.
Merino won the free-kick, Rice delivered it from the left and the Spaniard was able to net a simple header.
Yet after a lengthy VAR check, when the robot linesman must have been having a fag break, Merino was ruled offside – perhaps the genius of set-piece coach Nico Jover is wearing off as a player should never be offside from a dead ball.
The near-miss seemed to add extra fire to the Arsenal belly – Rice was soon marauding forward and feeding Trossard, whose angled shot was brilliantly tipped wide by Donnarumma.
Late on Bradley Barcola was clean through on goal but screwed his shot wide when he ought to have put the tie to bed.
And Goncalo Ramos chipped against the bar as Arsenal threatened to subside.
