Peter Schmeichel dismisses Arsenal's Thomas Partey excuse against PSG with new Bukayo Saka verdict

Pundit and former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has pointed the finger at 's players following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday evening.

Despite a comfortable win over the French champions during the group stage, the Gunners faced a different beast at the Emirates Stadium this week. On the back of impressive victories over and Aston Villa in the earlier knockout rounds, PSG showed exactly why they are favourites to lift the trophy in Munich next month.

It took just four minutes for the visitors to open the scoring and put Arsenal on the back foot, with Ousmane Dembele adding to his tally in Europe for the season. Arsenal thought they had equalised early in the second half, but ’s goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

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’s side remain firmly in the tie, with overturning a one-goal deficit not outside the realms of possibility. However, speaking on , Schmeichel insisted that too many of Arsenal’s players failed to show up in the first leg.

After it was suggested that Thomas Partey’s absence played a key role in the result, Schmeichel responded: “Do you think it was just that?” he questioned. “Because I have a feeling that it was too many of the big players not turning up today.

"I thought Saka was very, very quiet. It was just a little bit of both [Saka having an off day and PSG keeping him quiet], a little bit of both. He just looked a little bit tired if I’m honest.

"When he got the opportunities to actually challenge [Nuno] Mendes, he just didn’t have that extra bit of Saka magic we’ve seen before."

Arsenal will face PSG in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday evening. The other tie sees Barcelona take on Inter Milan, with a place in next month’s final on the line.

Before that, the Gunners must turn their attention back to the Premier League, with a crucial clash against Bournemouth coming up this weekend. While Liverpool have already secured the league title, the race for the remaining four Champions League spots is still very much alive.