Mikel Arteta jumped to the defence of his Arsenal team after their celebrations at reaching a first Champions League final in 20 years were criticised. 

Arsenal booked a date with Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30, after beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of their semi-final, sealing a 2-1 victory on aggregate. 

The Gunners also equalled their club record for most wins in a single season (41 across all competitions), previously winning 41 in the 1970-71 campaign, a season when they won the First Division and the FA Cup. 

Arsenal's triumph, which saw them beat their longest-ever unbeaten run in the European Cup/Champions League (14 games), sparked wild scenes at the Emirates Stadium as both players and Arteta celebrated wildly on the pitch. 

However, Arsenal were criticised by some, most notably Wayne Rooney, who described their celebrations as "a little bit too much" having not actually 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 told reporters 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 Champions League now on hold until the end of the month, Arsenal turn their attention to the Premier League title race, as they visit West Ham on Sunday.

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 have four matches to play, with the Gunners having three.

Arsenal have won their last two away league games against West Ham, winning 6-0 in 2023-24 and 5-2 last season, but they come up against a Hammers side fighting for their lives at the opposite end of the table.

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

"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."