Arsenal had the chance to add to their lead early in the first half at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night after forward Mikel Merino was brought down in the box by Raul Asencio inside 10 minutes. However, Saka spurned the chance to put Arsenal in front early on and stopped his side from leading 4-0 on aggregate.
Speaking after the game, Arteta admitted he was concerned about how his star man would react to the setback as they attempted to seal a place in the semi-finals.
"I didn't want to die but maybe I wanted to slap him,” Arteta joked. “He made that decision, he was bold enough to do it and he missed. I was more concerned about the emotional part. What it could do for us.”
Arsenal will now take on Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals after they became the first English club ever to win twice at the famous Bernabeu. This is the first time they have reached the Champions League semi-finals since losing to Manchester United in 2009 as they attempt to lift the European cup for the first time.