Arsenal booked a date with Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest for the final after beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of their semi-final, sealing a 2-1 victory on aggregate.

Arsenal's triumph, which saw it beat its longest unbeaten run of 14 matches in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, sparked wild scenes at Emirates Stadium as both players and Arteta celebrated on the pitch.

However, Arsenal was criticised most notably former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, who described the celebrations as "a little bit too much" having not won the trophy yet.

"I didn't know about it, but you have to respect every opinion and place them where they belong. It is not important," Arteta said when asked for his reaction.

"I'm assuming that the criticism is positive and negative.

"That makes you better. You want to set higher standards and perform at levels that can help you compete for the two most prestigious competitions in Europe.

"You have to be prepared for that because it does make you better, that's for certain."

But with the UEFA Champions League now on hold until the end of the month, Arsenal turns its attention to the Premier League title race, as it visits West Ham United this weekend.

Arteta's men are five points clear at the top but could see that gap reduced to two points before they kick off, with Manchester City taking on Brentford a day earlier.

Pep Guardiola's side has four matches to play, with the Gunners having three.

Arsenal has won its past two away league games against West Ham, winning 6-0 in 2023-2024 and 5-2 last season, but it comes up against a Hammers side fighting for its life at the opposite end of the table.

"Understanding the context of the game for both clubs, it's huge, obviously," Arteta said.

"We know the process of it, we know what we want and what we have to do to win the game.

"[We need to] stay present, live in the moment, prepare, and show the same level of energy, hunger, and desire that we've shown all season, or more.

"Because we are closer and closer, and everything that we do now is going to matter to win it or not."