Arsenal news: 'Once a Gooner, always a Gooner', says Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after UCL win over Spurs
What's the story?
Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has admitted that he was keen on helping Liverpool win the Champions League trophy over fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur so that he could deny his former club's rivals a major trophy.
In case you didn't know...
Liverpool established a comfortable 2-0 win over the Spurs at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium to lift their sixth Champions League title on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah came full circle from his heart-breaking injury in last year's finals and scored an early penalty to keep the Reds in the lead from the get-go. After a series of wasted chances on Tottenham's part, Divock Origi sealed the victory with a goal in the second half of the game.
The win proved to be a fitting end for Jurgen Klopp's phenomenal team, who gave Premier League champions Manchester City an intense title battle in the English top flight as well. The Reds finished a single point behind Pep Guardiola's side, who lifted their second consecutive league title.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was an unused substitute during the Champions League final, owing to an injury that kept him on the sidelines for most of the season.
The heart of the matter
The Ox, who spent six years with Arsenal, has dedicated Liverpool's Champions League win to the Gunners brigade, stating that he knows how much it means for them to see Spurs crumble.
Speaking to former Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker on DAZN (via Metro Sports), he said, "As former Gooners, we know what that one meant to all the Arsenal fans out there. It was massive for us at Liverpool, but 'Once a Gooner, always a Gooner' - that’s what they say."
"I had a personal sort of feeling in that game that we needed to get that done for all the people I left at Arsenal, I know they were all willing us on to win that one so I’m happy that we could do it."
What's next?
Liverpool will return to action when they face Borussia Dortmund in a club friendly on July 19.