Ian Wright believes Arsenal women’s side have saved the club from ’embarrassment’ after their Champions League victory against Barcelona.
Arsenal were huge underdogs heading into Saturday’s final with Barcelona favourites to win the Women’s Champions League for the third year running.
However, a resilient defensive display led by Leah Williamson kept Barca at bay before Stina Blackstenius scored the winning goal in the 75th minute.
The Champions League trophy is the only new addition to Arsenal’s cabinet this season after Mikel Arteta’s side ended the campaign without silverware.
After a Premier League title challenge with Liverpool fizzled out over the past few months, Arsenal’s hopes of their first-ever men’s Champions League victory were ended by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final earlier this month.
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Wright attended the Women’s Champions League final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Saturday night and was delighted with the club’s success in the competition for the first time since 2007.
Asked what the victory means for Arsenal as a club, Wright told TNT Sports: ‘It’s saved the club!
‘The embarrassment of not getting anything this season when we played so well with the men.
‘The ladies have saved the club. We’ve got something to celebrate.’
Wright also agreed that Arsenal should hold a parade in north London for their Champions League win.
‘Of course they need a parade,’ Wright said.
‘They have beaten Barcelona in the Champions League, no one gave them a chance,’ the former Arsenal striker said.
‘Even I was saying it was going to be tough because they average four goals a game.
‘So we needed to score goals to make sure that we beat them, in the end it was only one but everybody wrote them off.
‘They deserve everything they are getting, all the accolades because this is a magnificent achievement.
‘Look how far it’s come, I remember the Champions League being at Boreham Wood, look where we are and Arsenal winning it, it’s amazing.’
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