Porto manager aims sly dig at Arsenal after what Mikel Arteta said last night

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FC Porto manager Sergio Conceicao has aimed a sly dig at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta after last night’s UEFA Champions League fixture.

The Portuguese giants left it late to secure a 1-0 win as the Gunners now have everything to play for next month in the second leg, where Arsenal need to score at least two to progress into the quarter-finals.

Yet Arsenal and Arteta were both left frustrated by the nature of last night’s match, with the ball only in play for a record-low 50 minutes in a Champions League game as Porto used all the dark arts possible to get over the line.

Porto manager aims dig at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta after 1-0

And speaking to the press via Goal, Conceicao issues a small dig at Arsenal for their style of play, with the Porto manager saying the Gunners weren’t set up to actually win the match.

Conceicao said when asked about Arsenal’s complaints against Porto: “It’s an opinion. They wanted to play, we wanted to win.

“Arteta is from the [Pep] Guardiola school, who is the coach with the most titles in the world. They think that the best way to beat their opponents is to have more possession of the ball, but that depends on the team and the performers they have.

“We had 40%-60% possession of the ball, which is not a scandal. I didn’t mind having 30%-70% and winning too. It all depends on what you do with the ball within the strategy defined to score goals.”

Arsenal were played like a fiddle last night in Portugal

Having won their last five games and scored 21 goals, Arsenal were right to feel confident heading into last night’s Champions League clash against Porto.

Yet as is the way in the history of the Gunners, the north London side underestimated their opponents and the occasion, with Porto executing their game plan perfectly against Arsenal.

Arteta and his side now have a mountain to climb going into next month’s return leg, and nothing short of a miracle will now be needed if Arsenal are to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.