It was a memorable night in N5 as we dominated Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final and William Saliba believes our fans had a huge part to play in the victory.
Two stunning free-kicks from Declan Rice and a sensational first-time finish from Mikel Merino handed us a 3-0 lead heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.
The atmosphere at Emirates Stadium was electric from first to last and our centre back revealed that support gave the players all the confidence they needed to create a special night in N5.
“Even when we were in the coach, just before going to the stadium, we saw the fans, there were a lot of them,” Wilo sid. “It gave us a lot of confidence when you have your fans behind you like this especially in this big game in the Champions League, you have to be good.
“It’s because of them, we played so well, they pushed us, and we did well.”
Saliba partnered Jakub Kiwior at the back as we kept our sixth clean sheet in the Champions League this season, and the two remain unbeaten in the eight matches they've started together at centre-back. The French international described the victory as the perfect night and was delighted with the way we defended against Los Blancos.
He added: “Big night, big game, good atmosphere and a big win. We are so proud to win today in front of our fans, against a big team. It was a perfect night - we have to keep going like this and go there and win the game again.
“When we keep a clean sheet, we are so proud. We are happy, the whole backline did a really good job today.
“We have to be proud of all the team, every player who came in, every player who started the game was so good. We have to be proud, and we have to take this game for the next game to do the same."
We head to the Spanish capital next Wednesday with a three-goal advantage against the defending European champions, but Wilo knows the job is only half done as we aim for a first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
“Everyone was so happy, but we know that the job is not done. We have to be happy, of course, because we won today, but we have to do the same next week, and we will be happier.”
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