O'Hara Slams "Toilet" Atletico as Arsenal Cruise Into Champions League Final

Arsenal have booked their place in the Champions League final, dispatching Atletico Madrid with a 2-1 aggregate triumph to reach the showpiece for only the second time in the club's history.

The tie remained finely poised at 1-1 going into Tuesday evening's return fixture at the Emirates, but Bukayo Saka's second-half strike proved decisive as the Gunners saw off their Spanish opponents with relative comfort. Atletico mounted a brief fightback after falling behind but ultimately lacked the cutting edge to trouble their hosts.

Manager Diego Simeone cut a philosophical figure in defeat, accepting that Arsenal had simply been the better team across the two legs. "If we got knocked out it's because our opponents deserved to get through," the Atletico boss reflected. "They took their big chance in the first-half and they deserved to get through. I feel calm, I feel peaceful."

Not everyone was quite so gracious in their assessment, however. Jamie O'Hara, the former Tottenham defender, has let rip at Atletico's showing, delivering a withering critique of both their performance and their credentials. Speaking on talkSPORT, O'Hara pulled no punches.

"They're toilet, mate. They [Arsenal] literally got a bye," he declared. "Arsenal got a bye into the final tonight. That was turgid. Guff. Garbage. How were they [Atletico Madrid] in the semi-final?"

The ex-Spurs man took particular aim at Atletico's striking options, questioning how Alexander Sorloth had made it to the latter stages of Europe's premier competition. "Sorloth!? He couldn't hit a barn door," O'Hara fumed, before turning his ire toward the coaching staff.

"Simeone's on about £26million-a-year. And that's the team that got through to the semi-final. They're toilet, mate. I have to sit here and go on like Arsenal are the best team in the world. Come on, mate. We watch a proper game tomorrow with two proper teams."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, by contrast, was thoroughly delighted with his side's accomplishment. "An incredible night," Arteta beamed. "We made history again together and I cannot be more proud for everyone. The way that we were welcomed outside the stadium was special and unique.

"The atmosphere, our support has created the energy, the way they managed every ball with us, they made it special and unique. I never felt that in the stadium. We knew how much it meant to everybody. The boys did an incredible job and after 20 years and a second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final."