"I think [we were the better side]. Especially across 160 minutes. I'm saying that, and they are saying that because they [PSG] just told me that."
The Gunners bowed out of Europe after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain, despite an impressive performance against the French champions.
They created a handful of promising opportunities inside the first 15 minutes, but were left to rue them when Fabián Ruiz's half-volley sent the PSG fans into a frenzy in the 27th minute.
David Raya denied Vitinha from the spot in the second half, but Achraf Hakimi sealed the game for Les Rouge et Bleu with a lovely finish into the bottom right corner.
Bukayo Saka was finally able to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma after a series of world-class saves throughout both legs, but it wasn't enough to launch a comeback in the latter stages of the game.
"I think we deserved much more," Arteta claimed. "When you analyse both games, who has been the best player, the MVP, has been the same player, the goalkeeper. And the Champions League is decided in the boxes and it's won the game for them because today after 20 minutes and what happened in London as well, the result should have been very different."
Arteta said he was 'proud' of his team for their performances, despite the number of obstacles they had to overcome to reach the semi-final stage.
"I'm very proud of the team. We have to arrive in the competition at this stage with the full squad, fully available, in best condition. We haven't got that, so let's put that aside.
"Still, the team that I've seen today against is probably one of the best, if not the best team in Europe. It gives me so much pride but at the same time I'm so upset, so annoyed that we didn't manage to do it."
The Spaniard lauded Donnarumma for his involvement in preventing his side from reaching the final, labelling him as the 'MVP' of both fixtures.
"Sometimes you have to approach your position, what the keeper is doing, not in this tie, in both ties. They won the game for you and you need that. To win a competition, you need that. In one of the two boxes, somebody has to do something special to win it for you and make it happen and that was the difference."
When asked about the message that he gave to the players after the game, he answered: "[It is] very similar words to you guys. The way I describe it is the way I spoke to them and which is the way I feel it.
"Yes, I feel proud. Yes, probably in the condition that we are, it's very unlikely to happen but it was there to happen again and we made it very, very close to happen. So just finding those reasons, but actually didn't. Instead of the things that we don't have, with the things that we have, we can actually do more to help them."
Speaking about the development of his side since he took control in 2019, Arteta pointed out that 'nobody believed' his side could even qualify for the Champions League six years ago.
"This squad, two years ago, nobody believed that we could even probably qualify for the Champions League, not even think that we could finish second and compete in the league.
"Perhaps the amount of points that we had in any other year, you are a champion. Perhaps the run and the results and the performances that we have in the Champions League.
"But the reality at the end is you need something to lose and that trophy with all the work that we do and the disappointment is we don’t have them," he said.
Arsenal now turn their focus back to the Premier League, with Champions League football still not guaranteed to be in North London just yet.
