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Arsenal entered the quarter-final second leg with a 3-0 lead, and any fears that Madrid would mount another memorable European fightback were unfounded.

Bukayo Saka, who had earlier seen a penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois, was joined on the scoresheet by Gabriel Martinelli as the Gunners won 2-1 to book a last-four meeting with Paris Saint-Germain.

Arteta, who subsequently described the victory as one of the best moments of his career, revealed he had a chat with mentor-turned-rival Guardiola prior to the match.

"I called him because if I am here, it is thanks to him to a great extent," Arteta said of his conversation with the Manchester City boss, who he assisted between 2016 and 2019.

"He has been a big inspiration to me. I lived four amazing years with him and I will always be grateful to him. Without him, I wouldn't be here."

Arsenal will appear in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the third time, and the first since 2008-2009. Only once has it reached the final, finishing as runner-up in 2005-2006.

"Our team is very hungry and we want to keep on doing great things. We want to keep playing at semi-finals," Arteta added.

"We will have to go through tough times if we want to continue playing at this stage but we also have to enjoy it.

"The first thing I thought when the game finished was of my wife and my children because they've heard all week about what can happen in this stadium. They were here with me and they were proud."

Arsenal will host PSG in the first leg on 30 April (AEST), having defeated the Ligue 1 champion 2-0 at home in the group stage in October.