Kai Havertz has emphatically declared that Arsenal can still achieve a "very special" season, despite recent setbacks that threatened to derail their campaign. The German forward's dramatic late winner in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night has injected fresh belief into the Gunners' squad and supporters alike.
A Pivotal Moment for Arsenal's Season
Havertz sealed a crucial 1-0 victory with a stoppage-time goal in Lisbon, providing Mikel Arteta's side with a significant advantage ahead of next week's return fixture at the Emirates Stadium. This triumph arrived at a pivotal moment for Arsenal, whose season had teetered on a knife edge following their first back-to-back defeats of the entire campaign.
The hard-fought win now offers renewed hope that the club can avoid ending the season without silverware, with both domestic and European honours still within reach. Reflecting on this dramatic turnaround, Havertz stated: "We needed that as we were all frustrated with how the last couple of weeks went. But now it's time to move forward, it's time to be positive and it's time to all stick together."
Collective Belief in Achieving Something Special
Havertz emphasised the collective spirit within the club, adding: "As a group – as players, staff and the fans – we're all in this together and we still can make something happen this year. It can be something very special. That's what we're going to go for and now it's time to win games."
His sentiment was powerfully echoed by goalkeeper David Raya, who declared himself "100 per cent" confident that Arsenal can lift the Champions League trophy this season. The Spanish international produced an outstanding display in Lisbon, making several critical saves to preserve the clean sheet before Havertz's decisive strike.
Raya's Resurgent Performance and Confidence
Raya, controversially benched for Arsenal's recent cup exits against Manchester City and Southampton, emphatically proved his worth with a stunning early save to thwart Maxi Araujo, followed by two more crucial interventions. His clean sheet marked his 22nd across 41 appearances this season, a tally four greater than any other goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues.
Buoyed by this performance, Raya expressed his conviction that Arsenal can not only reach a second successive Champions League semi-final – which would be a club first – but also go on to win the entire competition. "We believe 100 per cent that we can win it," Raya told Amazon Prime. "We have to go step-by-step and game-by-game and keep showing what we can do."
Learning from Recent Setbacks
The goalkeeper elaborated on the team's mindset following recent disappointments: "If you don't believe, you are never going to win it, so you have to keep believing no matter what you go through. We came from two losses, we had to learn from that and use the pain in our belly to express ourselves and be better every single day. That is really important and the message we have to send out there."
With momentum now firmly on their side, Arsenal return to Premier League action at home to Bournemouth on Saturday. A victory would offer the chance to extend their lead over Manchester City from nine to twelve points, with Pep Guardiola's side facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge the following day.
This combination of European success and domestic dominance positions Arsenal for what could indeed become a truly remarkable season, should they maintain this renewed focus and determination through the crucial final weeks of the campaign.
