Wayne Rooney blasts Mikel Arteta & Arsenal for 'over-celebrating' Champions League final berth as Arsene Wenger sends warning

Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years on Tuesday night, with a Bukayo Saka strike enough to beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of the semi-final tie and secure a 2-1 victory on aggregate. The full-time whistle sparked wild scenes of jubilation, with fireworks lighting up the London sky and Arteta joining his squad on the pitch to celebrate with the home support.

However, Rooney, speaking as a pundit for Prime Video Sport, felt the celebrations were premature given there is still a trophy to be won in Budapest. "They deserve to be in this position but they haven't won it yet," the Manchester United and England icon said. "I think the celebrations are a little bit too much. Celebrate when you win!"

Rooney’s comments did not go unnoticed by Arsenal supporters or, seemingly, former Gunners icon Ian Wright. Taking to social media shortly after the match, Wright posted a video on X encouraging the Arsenal faithful to ignore the critics and soak in the achievement of reaching a major European showpiece.

"Arsenal fans, let me tell you something: enjoy this," Wright said in the video. "The celebration police will be out in force, do not get nicked! Enjoy yourselves, football's about moments and this is a big moment. Enjoy it. And let's hope that in the final and after the final, we have another massive moment. It's a great day, it's a great day!"

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also weighed in on the post-match atmosphere at the Emirates. While the Frenchman agreed that a degree of happiness was expected, he urged the current squad to quickly shift their focus toward the final and their ongoing battle for the Premier League title.

"They celebrate well tonight - that is normal, but you want more for them to focus on the final already and the next game," Wenger said on beIN Sports. "The celebration is deserved, happiness is absolutely normal, but now the next step is to go to the final and win it."

Arteta’s side are now just 90 minutes away from European glory as they wait to see who they will face in the Hungarian capital. They will meet either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain, with the French champions holding a narrow 5-4 lead ahead of their second-leg clash at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night. For Arsenal, this marks their first appearance in a Champions League final since the 2005-06 season, when they suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in Paris.