The Emirates’ greatest night as Real Madrid destroyed
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The only way to score is, of course, to play with a handbrake off. Hello, I'm Ian Stone. This is Handbrake Off, the Arsenal podcast brought to you by The Athletic. Well...

A historic night for the Arsenal as they beat the mighty Real Madrid. Three in the Emirates and the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final. A night for the ages, one of, if not the best result in the Emirates era. To bask in the glory of Arsenal's emphatic victory. I'm joined by Amy Lawrence, Art de Rocher and James McNicholas. Good morning. Good morning. Hello, hello. Morning, evening from over here. Hello.

How do you all watch the game, by the way? I mean, Amy, you sent me... I know people, obviously, all over the world. There were loads of fan videos. I sent you a video of me in a bar in Australia at 6.30 with about...

I don't know, 150 hardy Melbourne gooners. They do this. They do this quite regularly, you know. It almost killed me. I had about two hours sleep last night. You sent me a video of Kenyan gooners who went to the mountain to pray. And I'm all for them doing that every time now. I think they should make that a regular thing. You were at the game, Amy, yes? Yes.

I was. I mean, it felt so to be biblical, you know, inspired by our Kenyan friends going to the mountain to pray. Yeah. It's a strange thing, but you just sometimes know you're witnessing something that you're going to remember for a long, long time. And at one nil, I just found myself having a quiet moment, which was difficult in that environment. Yeah. Just sort of.

appealing to whatever powers there are somewhere in this weird world that we inhabit. Just win the game, just win the game, just win the game. And I wasn't really anticipating the scale that it then developed into, but I had this really strong feeling for the team, for the club, for the supporters, particularly the younger ones who might not have lived through

you know, those sort of euphoric life changing ones that you hold dear in your heart forever, that it was their turn. It was their turn to know how that feels, you know? And, and then it just, just went onto a whole new plane from there. So it was very, very, very rewarding moment. And I think everybody who was there will reflect that.

And even people who weren't there, you know, I think it means a lot to anybody wherever they were in the world that seemed to be embracing that moment. Well, exactly. I mean, as you saw from that video, there's 150 people going absolutely crazy as the sun's coming up in Australia. Oh, I'm assuming you were hoping we wouldn't lose by too many just so we can go back to the...

Honestly, you set me up like... I know. It actually pissed me off. Did it really? Well, because... Because people were messaging me on Twitter and I'm like... Were they? That's not what I was like...

wanting to come across. Hang on a second, Art. Hang on. I should explain to Amy and James that when we were saying, well, what would be a good result to take to the Bernabeu? And Art, I believe you said a narrow defeat is what you said. Is that right? What's a good result to take to the Bernabeu? Yeah. And in my head, I'm like, just make sure you're still in the game. So that's why I said that. So yeah, I was a bit...

Yeah. Anyway, I said I'd start Bukayo and I'm not sure everyone agreed with that. Oh yeah, okay. So you were right in that sense. I mean, and yes, and splendid he was too. James, I watched your On The Whistle, as I always do, by the way. I probably should subscribe, really. I mean, he's...

But anyway, I did watch your On The Whistle and you were talking about, you know, this was one for the ages, wasn't it? And there was a general vibe around you as I was watching it of people who couldn't quite believe what they witnessed because my son phoned me. He was at the game and he sounded high. I mean, he really did sounded high with it. And I thought...

you know, I think you've witnessed something very, very special there. Yeah, yeah. I definitely think that was kind of the ambience post-game. I was in the North Bank in my season ticket and it was a really special occasion. As Amy says, like, there are certain games that become kind of core memories for Arsenal fans and that become sort of the building blocks of your lifelong devotion to the team. And, you know, there will be younger fans who,

who don't remember, you know, the Invincibles or reaching the Champions League final or beating Barcelona in 2011, for whom this will be just the cornerstone, I think, of their fandom in some respects. Just a huge moment in their time as Arsenal fans. So, like Amy, I was really struck with the sort of wider context of it. On the subject of people, you know, getting caught in the emotion of the moment, um,

I was standing, I was meeting a friend after the game just to sort of like stare at each other really and say what on earth just happened. But a stranger walked past and he sort of slapped me on the back and he was like, do you enjoy that? I was like, yeah, of course I did, mate. I loved it. He was like, unbelievable, wasn't it? What a night, what a night. I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he went,

I'm a Liverpool fan, actually. But just got caught up in it. Yeah, incredible. And he was fully bought in. Well, and it's interesting because I had various messages from people. A friend of mine who's over here, Kai, who's a Newcastle fan, said only football can do that to people. And I thought he's right. And the one that I loved was from my mate Ben.

He said, I'm not even an Arsenal fan, but all I want in my life is for Bukayo Saka to whisper in my ear, if you feel it, go for it. Genuinely don't think there could be a purer experience. I could walk on water after that. And I think that's what it stirred in people. It was something special. I was so struck by that. You know, I thought that was really insightful. You know, we don't get those kind of things.

inner thoughts shared that often. You can imagine what someone's thinking during the game, what's going through their mind in the middle of actually playing. Have they got time to think about it? Is it all instinct? And I found that just captivated me. The idea that they're in the middle of one of the biggest games they'll play in their careers, hopefully lots more, but that's going to be up there. It's going to be one of their core memories, these players as well, let's be honest. And in that moment,

They're having a little chat as they hover over the free kick. Who's going to take it? What are you going to do? And we all imagine, especially having our set piece guru, with the status he has at the club, that everything is pre-prepared and everything is thought through and everything has been practiced and nothing's left to chance. But this was a game of chance. This was, you know, what's in your deck of cards? What's in your hand? What am I going to pick? What am I going to lay down?

And those two guys sat there and figured it out there and then just said, let's do this instead. And actually I think went against what the instructions seem to be. And I love that. I love that there's this, you have to have room for this spontaneity, for this invention, for this ability to be creative and imaginative and bring art and ideas into this kind of

very organised game that we have now. I just thought that was made almost extra special, just learning that that was what kind of preceded the goal that really turned Arsenal's season and, you know, potentially turns a lot of things, turns how they feel about themselves and what they can do. History, turn their history around, possibly. Just, I know I've gone off on one, but I just wanted to mention, you know, we're talking about how everyone felt. When I got to the ground and I was in the press box,

Just went out early and had a little look. And there wasn't that many people in the ground yet. And it was just nice seeing down on the pitch with all the pre-match interviews, there was Thierry, there was Cesc.

And there was a few other faces from Arsenal's past. You know, Pires was there just before the game doing his interview. Philippe Senderos was there. He was really pleased to be back. There was a lot of old faces that were, you know, reconnecting for that. Of course. And I was just stood there and then this couple of lads came up and said hello. And one of them was from Orkney.

And he'd driven down from the Scottish Highlands for the match and picked up his mate somewhere else in Scotland on the way. And they were in the ground super early, soaking it all up. They'd been on the road for God knows how long. And they were buzzing even before the match. And you could see that they felt, you know, they were so ready.

to absorb something special like that. So shout out to the guys. I think it was Matt and Charlie. If I've got that wrong, apologies. The Orkney and Glasgow Gooners. I can only imagine your faces after the game because they were pretty excited before, truthfully. Well, they were like everybody else's faces, I imagine. It's just as you said, James. Oh, where did you watch the game, by the way? Were you at the game?

No, I was in my bedroom. And were you making enough noise to wake the neighbours? To be fair, I'm not. It depends who I'm around. Like, I was quite contained, I think. I was just more like, what the f*** has just happened? Yeah. Yeah.

When the second one went in, I didn't know what to do. I think that's the same for all of us, actually. Yeah. Fair enough. James, you were there. And let's talk about the atmosphere. Arsenal 3, Real Madrid 0. We all know, right? But it's nice to say it again. The atmosphere. Mikel Arteta talked specifically about all this. Let's make it happen. Was that the best atmosphere you've been in at the Emirates? Oh, yeah.

In terms of a pre-game atmosphere, it's certainly right up there because it's very rare, very, very rare that you walk out 10, 15 minutes before the game and it's packed.

And it was. You know, Mikel Arteta had spoken about wanting people to get there early and to their credit, the club put certain incentives and encouragements in place to help that happen. But that ground was full, you know, at least 10 minutes before kick-off. I think probably North London Forever was played pretty much a full five minutes before kick-off. So the build-up was fantastic. The atmosphere was hot. It was electric.

It was tense at times because the stakes were so high and the game was so intense. And they're dangerous, aren't they? They're so dangerous. They are dangerous. So it demanded, particularly in the first half, a sort of degree of focus and engagement from fans that...

that wasn't 100% of the time conducive to noise, but there was a kind of thick atmosphere of people who were very intently watching this game. In the second half, once the goals started coming, that did sort of break that storm into kind of euphoria and disbelief. Disbelief was maybe...

Maybe the overriding thing, I think of so many faces and so many people I heard saying things like, how is this happening? Or as Art eloquently just put it, you know, what the f*** is happening? I think it's a result that exceeds probably most people's wildest dreams. I think a few people came up to me on the night and were like,

Do you think we need to win? I think we need to win, really. If we're going to go through, we need to win tonight. And I was like, yeah, I guess so. Yeah, if we could squeak a win, that would really be helpful. To win 3-0 against Real Madrid. I honestly, yeah, I didn't conceive of that before the game. And deservedly. Exactly, yeah. With no arguments, really. And with Real Madrid players, the likes of Jude Bellingham saying it could well have been more. Yeah, it exceeded every expectation I had.

I didn't conceive of it at half-time. No, no, certainly not. Which makes it even more interesting. I felt like in order to get a big result, some sort of statement, any kind of victory, that, you know, they needed to... I kind of had this idea in my head that it would be... Arsenal would be more front-footed or aggressive from the get-go. And it wasn't like that. Yeah. I thought that first half, I feel I almost need to watch it again, was...

was quite intriguing but there were definitely moments of it although it was quite even in terms of chances when it boiled down to it there were moments when Madrid had the ball and they you know you felt like you were maybe a snake was working its way around your neck and just beginning to squeeze and they would pass it with a little bit of arrogance amongst themselves and you know Mbappe just watching the way he moves when you're in the stadium you see it in front of your eyes rather than off TV or something it was

You can't take your eyes off how he moves because it's different. It is Henri-esque. It reminds us of that sort of graceful, vicious acceleration that's so dangerous. But in the end, it was still nearly at halftime, but I just kept thinking, how do Arsenal get more assertive? I wasn't sure I could see it. I don't know about you guys, but...

Obviously, you know, the way it went was that level of inspiration and, you know, somebody taking responsibility. And I think as soon as that cracked the game, all of Arsenal's players felt that inspiration and that assertiveness. It kind of coursed through everyone. Yeah, I don't know this because I was in my bedroom and just removed from it, but I was...

really settled at halftime and i feel like part of that was because of the the women's game against romandrid a few weeks ago they went in nil nil at halftime yes after a really strong first half and actually at that time in that game i went into halftime similar to amy like oh if they just like missed the boat to actually take a lead what are they going to do in the second half

But what they did was scored the first goal and then went 3-0 up pretty soon after that. So I kind of had that in the back of my mind that it is possible to be 0-0 with Real Madrid, even though obviously different teams, but you can still kind of, I guess, take charge in the second half. So I was really settled there.

when they went in for halftime but I was probably helped by the fact that I didn't have I guess the atmosphere and the tension of 60,000 plus people around me in my bedroom or even 150 people to be honest with you because we went outside for a bit of air at halftime and there wasn't that one of those chats well what would be a good result oh what if we can nick a one if we can nick a one nil and then that second half unfolded before we talk about that

The first half, we had chances, they had chances as well. I thought it was quite a nervy start for the first five, ten minutes. Jakub Kivior missed that ball from the throw and suddenly they're away. Bukayo Saka gave the ball away. But also they made mistakes, James, as well. I sense that they were nervous as well. I mean, this is not the Real Madrid of the past game.

They're not as imperious as they have been and they've lost quite a few games this season. They lost at the weekend. I sense that they also, the atmosphere got to them as well. Yeah, they shipped a few goals as well in recent weeks. I think it is that attacking threat that they pose. You know, there was that sort of intake of breath every time one of Mbappe or Vinicius got the ball and you thought, what are we in for here? And even at the start of the second half,

they were knocking the ball around a bit more and I thought, oh, they look a bit more, you know, what I anticipated, what you expect from Real Madrid. But take nothing away from Arsenal. I just think we, you know, Mikel Arteta, what's his favourite word? Dominance. I think we were dominant in so many aspects of the play and the crowd were part of that but I think the belief of the players as well was integral and

You saw them grow almost as the game went on. And the moment the first goal hit the back of the net, they all collectively went to another level because suddenly, you know, for all the messages of make it happen, make it happen. Well, when it is happening, it's another thing entirely. And you could see the surge in belief through them all. Come see the Arsenal! Come see the Arsenal! Come see the Arsenal!

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It's difficult to know where to start. Should we just talk about... I mean, we could go through the team one at a time if you want. Amy, you said to me before we came on the pod that maybe we should do a few plaudits for some of the players who wouldn't normally get talked about. This was a big night for Jakub Kivior, wasn't it? I mean, all of us on this pod, we said, oh, we'd like to see Ben White at centre-half. But the manager chose Jakub Kivior and he fully justified his inclusion, didn't he? I'm so thrilled for him. I really am. I think the level of...

scrutiny he must have felt under. You know, to be coming in replacing the, you know, a real defensive leader, someone who is synonymous with the best of Arsenal's defending. Before he came in to replace Big Gabby when he got injured, Kivior had spent nearly three months of Premier League football, fit, training, doing everything you need to do and an unused substitute. Yeah. For three months, not one minute of Premier League football.

So then to come in, have a couple of games to find some rhythm before facing one of the most feared forward lines in football, knowing that there are people looking at you, waiting to see that you might mess up. I have immense respect for his mental fortitude and the fact that

You know, you mentioned maybe one slightly dicey moment early on, but other than that, he was pretty much flawless, concentrated. He absolutely deserves, he's one of many that deserves a big bouquet of flowers. Even just looking across that back line, I thought Jurian Timber was outstanding in the first half. In a tough first half, he had that bite and that competitiveness that I think...

sort of sent a signal. He was leading by example in the manner of how he was approaching the game. And over on the other side, I mean, Myles Lewis Skelly, just... Let's all have a go. We all know how ridiculous he is. But again, going back to the opening period where it felt nervy and on a bit of a knife edge. Not him. Probably of all players, he was the one who took it up a notch. Whenever he was on the ball, he...

He had a boldness and he was able to boost things. And it was like, come on then, come on then. We're, you know, we want to do something here. Yeah. It was exemplary. So yeah, I just think Saliba barely got a mention really in the aftermath of yesterday's game. And was magnificent. He was imperious. Yes, he was. Yes, he was. It was a really fantastic performance. So, you know, the headlines obviously came

Go to Rice, predominantly, and there are others further, you know, Marino's contribution. What a fabulous finish from a guy who also had two other brilliant shots in the game that were well saved. You know, just across the team, it's what you need when you're going to have a phenomenal result in difficult circumstances. You need every player to step up and say,

I'm going to be first class today. And they were. Before we talk about the free kicks, James, just a moment on Myles Lewis-Skelly. James, we are witnessing the sort of first season of what may be a generational talent. I mean, he's in the England team. He scored a goal on his debut. He scored the winning goal, what turned out to be sort of the winning goal against Manchester City. He was, as Amy said, probably one of the best players on the pitch today.

last night, 18 years old, he's stepping into midfield and looking as comfortable as Jude Bellingham and Martin Erdegaard and Detlef Reiss, you know, experienced international players. He's 18 years old. Nothing, nothing fazes him. No, I do think his superpower is his personality. You know, there's kids in academies who have a very high level of technical ability or natural physical gifts.

But I think what Myles has that separates him from others is his attitude and the special kind of charisma that he's able to exert on a football pitch.

Imagine, he's played, what is it, 20, 30 senior games of football in his young life. He's 18 years old, never went out on loan, never been exposed to men's football really before this season. And now he's playing against Real Madrid, against idols and heroes and people he grew up hoping to emulate. And he's bossing it. It is extraordinary. And I think like...

Bellingham on the other team like Wayne Rooney like Cesc Fabregas he has a capacity to influence games at an unnaturally early age and I do think as gifted and talented as he is that stems from a core personality a core belief and it it's what really could make him special like I think I

It's obviously tempting to project forward and imagine what he might be in future. But we know from years of watching Arsenal that the trajectories of any player's career are difficult to predict. What he's doing right now is truly extraordinary. And I think...

This is a performance that you could conceivably file alongside Jack Wilshere against Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas in the Bernabeu as a kind of coming of age, announcing himself not just to the Premier League, because listen, he's an England international, an England golf scorer. I'd like to think in this country we know him well, but to Europe, to the global game, I'm sure a lot of people will have sat up and taken notice last night.

Oh, anything to add? Because it's not that I don't want to move on because we do have a couple of free kicks that I'd really like to talk about as well. But anything to add about Miles? I mean, he's Arsenal DNA, isn't it really? He's part of the club. He's part of the fabric of the club. He's been there for years.

We're all so proud of him and he just takes it in his stride, doesn't he? Yeah, aside from the fact that I'd like him to keep the 49 shirt for his whole time at the club. For the song. Yeah, I think there was one moment where Juergen Timber went off to receive some treatment and Arsenal had to kind of keep the ball

while they were waiting for him to come back on. And Myles was the one who was in the center circle, kind of just controlling everything. And that just, in real time, it seemed so, not weird, but amazing that he was 18 years old, Real Madrid are a man up at the time, and they can easily pick you apart or pick you off when you have the ball.

And he just knew what pass to make, where to move, where to look. And yeah, I think that moment just, it felt like, okay, well, wherever he plays, it'll be fine. If he's in midfield and in the future, he'll be fine. But in that moment, it was just like, wow, what is this? Yeah, there was another moment in the game. I think Arsenal defended a corner.

But the ball stayed in play for about five minutes afterwards, it felt like anyway. And Arsenal were sort of not in their customary formation. So you had a moment where...

I think William Saliba was basically playing as a left back and Myles Lewis Skelly for this whole passage of open play was effectively the right-sided centre half in a back four. And you could see him kind of cajoling the guys around him, setting the offside trap, leading the line. And as I keep saying, at 18 years of age...

That is not normal. Just on the goal as well. Yes. Like most of us, we've all seen hundreds of versions of people's footage in the ground of all the goals and stuff. And you can hear when he gets the ball, people go, shoot. Yes. And he has the wherewithal and the intelligence of decision-making to just roll it across for Mourinho to bury. Yes.

Which, you know, just again shows great maturity of thinking. Let's talk about Detlam Rice. I mean, I think £105 million was a bargain. We were saying this last season pretty much every week on the pod. Quick straw poll, which was your favourite free kick? Art, one or two? I keep flipping between them. I feel like the first one was more difficult. But the second one...

Second one, Matt. The second one's probably better. I'm going second. Amy, you did a little post a moment in time on social media where the ball is just basically right in that top corner. I mean, that is top bins, isn't it? That's exactly where you put it. I'm going second. Are you going second? By the way, my son phoned me up. He said the second free kick might be the best free kick I've ever seen. What are you saying, Amy? One or two? Second. It's like ambrosia from heaven. Oh, my goodness. Yeah.

James? Second for me, yeah. I think just the sense of disbelief and incredulity at it happening again, I think really added to it.

A man who's never scored. A man who's never scored from a free kick, by the way, in 300 and whatever it is, 38 games. Got two in 12 minutes against Real Madrid. Utterly ridiculous. The first free kick we've scored direct since we all know September 2021. What are you going to say, Henry? Sorry. Yeah, I just want to give some credit to Jordan Campbell, who I was sitting next to in the press box. And when the first free kick was given,

I sort of did that slightly slumped, oh, that's a free kick. You know, what's the point of this? Never score. And I think I said something vaguely disparaging along those lines to him. And he went, this is going in. And he did. And then when it was the second free kick, he went, he's going to score this one as well. So I think I sort of jumped all over him after the second goal for being a soothsayer as well as just the feelings of the goal. We were absolutely mad. He was convinced.

Literally, he just was cool as he liked, said, this is going in. He made it happen. Well, I filmed it. I filmed it, by the way, because I thought something special might happen. You filmed a lot of people's shoes, Stanley. Come on, be honest. No, no, I understand. What happened was I was pointing it at the screen and then it went in and then I lost my mind for a minute. I mean, I genuinely did. And I wasn't thinking about camera technique at that point. We talked about, oh, Bekayo Saka, by the way, won the free kick for both.

both the free kicks. And, you know, Art, this is a guy who's been injured for three months, has come back and played, what, a game and a half,

and had such a huge effect. And Detlef Reiss, who was interviewed afterwards, and by the way, it's worse watching those interviews because he just cannot keep the smile off his face and it just fills me with joy to see him so happy. But he talked about Saka and what he means to the team and how he takes the pressure off the others and he attracts defenders and it gives them more space. Yeah, I mean, when we were talking on Monday ahead of the game, I couldn't conceive...

a game where he didn't start just because I think you know when he's on the team sheet, you know what's going to happen. And I think if, say, if Kai Havertz was fit, Arsenal 1-0 up, maybe 2-0 up,

at halftime in my opinion but yeah I think just the fact that he was able to withstand those challenges as well ride them for that long before I guess attracting the fouls in really central positions was superb as well I think too often I think James and I have maybe spoken about it at Arsenal

get free kicks in the wide areas because that's where they tend to play. They don't really get central free kicks, but the fact he was able to get them there was so massive. And let's not forget as well, Amy, that he scored those two free kicks against one of the best two or three goalkeepers in the world. I mean, the second one, there could have been two of him and he wouldn't have got near it. But, you know, he made some outstanding saves in this game as well, Courtois. But those free kicks were so good.

So good he didn't get near them. Yeah, I'm curious as to how things develop now on the free kick front. I mean, one would assume that he's on duty now, but it's been a long time that, you know, Erdogan has been the man at free kicks and it hasn't worked particularly well for a long time. So...

I think Adrian and I both banged the drum not too long ago saying, oh, why isn't Declan Rice getting a go? And lo and behold...

Look what happened. Look what happened. James, do you think in terms of Detlam Rice's career, this is a real step forward? Because we know how good he is and he's obviously box-to-box midfielder and he tackles and he does all the other stuff. But he was talking in the post-match interviews about not scoring enough and not having the confidence to shoot enough. And we know he's got the technique and everyone knows he's got the technique. And

And maybe this will give him the confidence now to take stuff on a little bit more. And we could add, you know, 10, 15 goals a season from him as well as everything else he gives us. It is extraordinary, isn't it? Because he's in his mid-twenties and yet it still feels like he's adding things to his game. Yeah.

Like to use a computer game analogy, it's like he's going up on the skill tree and he's just selected like he's earned enough XP to be like, ah, free kicks. I'm going to have free kicks as a new thing in my arsenal. Unbelievable. Yeah. James, what's XP? Just to explain to the idiots out here. Experience, I guess. Experience points. Okay, thank you. So and you like spend the points to acquire the skills.

And he, he, thank you for asking Amy, by the way, because I was going to just throw on blag it, but you know, I really appreciate it. We want it to be an inclusive show. Top stuff from James there. That was for you, Art, really. But I think, uh, it is amazing. He's adding new strings, uh, to his bow to use an analogy that may be more familiar for you guys. Uh,

Yes. A medieval weapon. Something 17th or 18th century would be really, really nice. Yes. I mean, that's just...

amazing and unusual and as for what happens with the free kicks going forward I think if Martin Odegaard tries to take the next one I wouldn't surprise me if there's a pitch invasion or something I don't think that surely that's not on the cards I mean Rice has earned that now but you know we waited so long for one and then

Two in succession. It's always going to be disappointing when he misses the next one. Maybe he won't. Maybe he'll just carry on. Who knows? Maybe he's saving the third for the Bernabeu. Who knows? No, save it for the semi-final. For the semi... Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. He's changed his tune. We were losing a few days ago.

One more thing. Amy, you mentioned Mikkel Marino. I mean, the transformation from what's happened with him. He was in midfield and we weren't totally sure of it. He thought he was on a million for him and he's sort of in and out. And then suddenly he becomes a forward. You know, needs must because we didn't have another one. And it turns out he's one of the best finishers. And I heard Paul Merson, I think, talking about this on Sky TV.

saying that if Haaland or a forward had done that finish, people would be raving about it because it was such a beautiful hit. You know, it was a great ball across.

But he really connected beautifully and he connected beautifully with the one that was cleared off the line and the one that called to our save as well. He has got outstanding technique in those moments, hasn't he? Yep. Let's hope he's got a few more. I mean, it was just been remarkable from that first experiment up at Leicester where it just seemed almost funny that this thing had happened. It's changed. It's not funny anymore. It's serious. And he's doing it with a degree of commitment and I

I think one of the things that keeps being stressed about him is what an intelligent boy he is and how hard he's trying to learn at the moment. It must be a strange thing when you're, he's not a young player. He's done an awful lot already in his career. And to have that characteristic where you're really, really willing, come on, help me here. How can I learn more? How can I improve? What do I need to know? And put those things into practice. Against Real Madrid in Champions League. I mean, just...

I know. Remarkable. I like how he found space, actually, for that third goal because Myles Lewis-Skelly had the ball and he just... You could see him looking around him and just stepping back two yards from the defence, just into that space and going, give it here, I'll have a shot. And I thought it was an outstanding goal, really, that...

Listen, we could talk about all of them. David Rea looks so self-assured, so self-assured. Chiarantini was great when he came on. Amy, you want to say something? Yeah, that's right. I just wanted to shout out Chiarantini. I felt a bit emotional, actually, watching Chiarantini come on. He's still got stuff to give for this club. And you know what? There could be something magical happens with him before the end. And that would be something, wouldn't it? We're also, by the way, Thomas Partey bossed the midfield and Martin Oedegaard did his thing. I mean, it was really an all-round team performance and...

One other thing I wanted to mention was the players' reaction to those free kicks. Martin Hedegaard holding his head in his hands. He couldn't believe it. Jorginho, after the second one, thinking, should I even go on the pitch? And then going, no, sod it, of course I will. I'm not surprised Martin had his head in his hands. He knows he's never taken one again, I think. LAUGHTER

That's my last chance gone. Thanks a lot, Dec. When is that round, by the way? Is that the greatest? Is that the best we've seen at the Emirates? Amy, I mean, Barcelona was pretty special. Man City the other week, by the way, was pretty special. We've had a couple of great 5-2s over Tottenham, but that was around Madrid at home in the quarterfinal of the Champions League. Is that the best you've seen? It's hard to disagree. I mean, if I don't think anyone is, how are they? What else is up there? Barcelona, for sure.

The 5-2s against Spurs. I mean, little individual moments like Jesus' third goal against Man Utd when he left whoever it was sliding down the hallway. Reece Nelson, of course, against Bournemouth. Henri against Leeds. Henri against Leeds. But it's in that bracket and it's possibly better than all of them. And it may well be topped there.

this season. But anyway, it was pretty special and deserved. And a word for the manager as well, by the way. I mean, we've all, everyone's had doubts, haven't they, over the years? But my God, I felt like he out-coached Carlo Ancelotti. Art, what do you think about that? I was watching the game and it wasn't one where I was thinking about the coaching

that was going on I was more just thinking about the players and their application and I think that's probably more what we're wanting to see from Mikel Arteta like that emotional understanding of what a game requires which I think Carlo Ancelotti is probably the godfather of and I think that's what really impressed me I wasn't really thinking about oh what's so-and-so doing when they have the ball what they don't when they don't have the ball it was just more about okay you

do you actually look like you want to win the game? And everyone did. I think there's an apologies for the imagery and the language that's going to come. But in my group chat, we often say, put your bollocks on the table. And it felt like everyone put their bollocks on the table.

on the table for last night. They did. You'd hope they wiped the table afterwards, but yes, they did. I think that's fair enough. Or, you know, washed the tables off or whatever. But, no, no, Amy, when I was talking about Mikel Arteta there, it was more about the fact that where we were and what we are now and his, you know, all the pain that you go through. He talked about this last night, all the difficult moments and,

And he believed in this team and this group of players. And now they are totally with him. And I think that they will believe they can win this competition after that. Maybe. But certainly in terms of instilling the necessary belief. Yeah. You know, he managed the situation really interestingly. And he's obviously spent quite a few days before the game planting the seed. Magic moments make it happen.

take responsibility, be the difference maker. You know, it's almost, I heard Declan Weiss in one of the interviews with someone talking about manifesting something, you know, visualizing this stuff, you know, all the things that they do within the camp to try and get in that elite mindset for the most challenging of situations. And I think that that's where Mikel Arteta is.

Kind of reached one of his own peaks, actually, in his young time as a first-time manager. It's been building a bit. And when you look at the European ride since he came back to the club and Arsenal were finishing eighth and were struggling to qualify for any kind of Europe. Had one year out, didn't we? Then there was the European League years. And then getting back into the Champions League is another step.

And the first of those steps were a little bit tentative, a bit excitable, back at the big table and then being more comfortable and being able to express more

And it's all those stepping stones that then lead to, okay, can you go toe-to-toe with the best? And Mikel had to prepare that team with all the foibles of some people not being quite fit or some people not being available and having to be makeshift in various aspects of the team, of what he had available.

He had to make them have that inner belief that they could make it happen. Yeah. And he succeeded. Yeah. Missing some of the spine of the team, you know, happened while we were missing Gabriel and... But now they've got to go and do it in Spain. And then they've got to try and do it ideally in the next round and then possibly after that. But...

I don't think he will allow talk of the Bernabeu just yet. No. I think they played, you know, this phenomenal experience. They then have a game on the weekend against Brentford and then they turn their attention to finishing this job. Yeah, quite. I don't think anybody will be complacent and anybody will be unaware of

of the threats and the dangers. All right. I mean, we could spend another hour talking about that. I'll tell you what, we'll take a short break and then we've got a few emails from some listeners. This is Handbrake Off, the Arsenal podcast brought to you by The Athletic.

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They get a humbric off and you can see that they are more free to play. Ian Stone, Art de Rocher, Amy Lawrence and James McNicholas. Oh.

Full house almost today on Hand Break Off, the Athletics Arsenal podcast. Yeah, a couple of emails from listeners. Dan Lawler, Nicholas Jove, better be watching his back. The pod called for deck for free kicks weeks ago. Yes, you did. Particularly Amy and Adrian. More people are mentioning Adrian here, Amy, but I know you said it as well, by the way. Jason Bacari. Give Adrian the props, no worries. Just think you need to give Adrian Clark some major props. Yeah.

As he has been banging on about Declan Rice needing to take free kicks on the pod for a while. Also, please give Art some stick for saying he'd be pleased with a 1-0 Madrid win. I mean, we have. We have. I can do it some more if you want, Jason, but you know what? No need. I think we can all be sort of happy now. There's no need for that.

Jackson Gee, high all, an unreal performance from Rice. Again, Adrian should get some flowers. Second leg next Wednesday. I mean, I know what you're saying, Amy, that we've got Brentford, but second leg next week, it's the Burner Bale. James, we know what the Burner Bale, what can happen there. We've seen it happen to Man City in various teams over the years, but

These players are going to want to go there and not make what happened last night meaningless, aren't they? They're going to want it to mean something. And that means getting a result in the second leg. Yeah, and imagine the belief they'll be imbued with after last night. Also, from a tactical perspective, if you were designing a team to go away from home and protect a lead, you'd say there won't be many better in Europe at that than Arsenal. But listen...

I'm not going to tempt fate. It is Madrid. It is the Bernabeu. I do think anything can happen. And as extraordinary and brilliant as last night was, I haven't seen any Arsenal fans assuming progression at this point. No. My God, no. No.

I mean, I couldn't say it. Amy, I'm a bit like, was it trucker trucker when it comes to this sort of stuff? There's absolutely no way I'm doing that. And you know I can get carried away and I will get carried away. And I've only slept for two hours and it's almost the middle of the night here again and I'm running on fumes, to be honest with you. But...

Yeah, still, it's a huge game to come. We have got Brentford at the Emirates on Saturday. I mean, Robbie, our producer, says, do we care about this game after last night? Well, do you know what? We still need, I think the players will want momentum, won't they, Art, to keep it going into the Bernabeu. Yeah, I think definitely depends who starts. Obviously, I probably think get a similar starting XI to the Everton game. Yeah. But then maybe you get

20 minutes for Saka again, Erdogan, some of the guys who you'd expect to start at the Bernabeu. So yeah, and also I think

Nottingham Forest aren't too far behind Arsenal in the league still. So you want to make sure you don't, I guess, kind of sleepwalk into third in the Premier League. So still got to show up on the weekend. But Amy, they're playing with such confidence, aren't they? I mean, the confidence you get from a result like last night, that will surely sustain them on the weekend. Just no injuries, please. Yeah.

That's it, isn't it? That really is it. You know, get a result and no injuries. Yeah, I think that's fair enough. All right, let's have a song to finish. Oh, I'll start with you. What song have you got? After the Make It Happen talk, I'm going to go for Let It Happen by Tame Impala. Yeah, okay. Actually, I was thinking maybe I could have the Blur song. It really... What's that song? Universal. It really, really, really could happen.

What are you having, James? Well, you've got to blow out a go at Oasis. Cigarettes and alcohol, the big refrain in that is you've got to make it happen. And Arsenal did last night. Good point. Amy? I'm just thinking about the rarity value of that kind of memorable lifetime experience and talking heads once in a lifetime. Lifetime!

I also was going to go, wow, Kate Bush. Because it was one of those, wasn't it? Can you sing the chorus for us, please, then? Do you know what? I really value keeping our listeners. So I don't think I will. I'll do it if we win the final, though.

How's that? I'll hold you to that. Okay. I think we're all in, I think we'll have to have a mass rendition if that's the case. Yeah, okay. Fair enough. What have I just done? Anyway, that's it for this rather special, I think, edition of Hand Break Off after watching just one of the best things I've ever witnessed in my life. Thanks to Amy Lawrence, thanks to Art de Rocher and thanks to James McNicholas and thanks to Robbie, our producer and...

Have a nice few days, gamers. I'm sure you will. See you Saturday. Ta-ra.