In a candid chat, Arteta admitted, 'I called him this morning. Because if I'm here, it's thanks to him to a great extent.'

He gushed about his former mentor, 'He's been a big inspiration to me. I lived four amazing years with him and I will always be grateful to him. Without him, I wouldn't be here.'

Arteta's pride in his players was evident when he said, 'Probably not' when asked if he'd ever been prouder of Arsenal's players.

'Not only because we're in the semi-final for the third time in our history, but also for the manner and the way we did it, with the circumstances, the amount of injuries that we had,' he said.

'I think overall, I think it shows the character of this team, of this club, and it's a night to be very proud of. What this shows is that the feeling that we have is a reality.'