ARSENAL gave two first-team players some much-needed minutes in a 4-0 behind-closed-doors friendly defeat to QPR today.

The Gunners are making the most of the break to give those not on international duty the chance to get up to full strength ahead of the pre-season and title challenge.

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SunSport understands Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu were involved. Partey was credited with 60 minutes, while Tomiyasu played 45 minutes.

But Jurrien Timber did NOT playing as he continues his rehabilitation from ACL surgery.

The match took place at one of QPR’s training grounds and there were a lot of Arsenal U21s in attendance who had the chance to impress Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal had not played since beating Porto on March 12 to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with their next meeting against Manchester City on March 31.

Partey made his official return from the bench on March 4 against Sheffield United, having been out for five months following thigh surgery in October.

Before that, the Ghanaian had only been on the field for half an hour since August.

Partey also played the final few minutes of Arsenal’s 2–1 win over Brentford on 9 March, as he returned to regular football.

Boss Arteta hopes Partey can play a big role with just 10 league games remaining in the Premier League and a Champions League quarter-final next month.

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Tomiyasu has also struggled with injuries this season and has been dealing with a calf problem, meaning the Japan international is yet to play for Arsenal this calendar year.

But after signing a new two-year contract this week – with the option of a further 12 months – Tomiyasu was given game time against QPR.

The return of Tomiyasu gives Arteta plenty of options at the back and can rotate players like Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White and Jakub Kiwior if necessary.

However, Dutch full-back Timber – who was injured on the opening day of the Prem against Nottingham Forest in August – is not yet ready to participate in a match situation.

Timber has been involved in full training with the seniors in recent weeks and is building up to be able to perform again sometime next month.

However, Arteta won’t be taking any chances with a player he sees as crucial to his setup, and internally the club is very excited about what Timber can bring to the side next season when he is fully fit.

TAKEHIRO TOMIYASU has signed a new two-year contract with Arsenal – with an option for a further 12 months.

The 25-year-old Gunners defender has become the latest north London player to commit his future to the club and has doubled his salary in the process.

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The Japan international, who was signed from Bologna in the summer of 2021 on a four-year contract for around £17million and has made 73 appearances so far, admits playing for Arsenal is “a dream”.

And with a potential Premier League and Champions League double on the horizon, Tomiyasu is looking forward to a successful end to the campaign.

He said: “Arsenal are one of the best clubs in the world. And it’s a dream to play for this club, so I’m happy.

“I play for Arsenal and this means I play for Arsenal supporters. That is why I dedicate my life to this club and to its supporters. I want to give them something back.

“When I joined Arsenal we were not playing in European competitions. But now we are playing in the Champions League and we are in the title race. We have improved a lot.

“Now I want to achieve something. I want to win something with my teammates, with the supporters.”

Boss Arteta said: “We are so happy that Tomi is entrusting his future to us. Together with his natural ability and strength, Tomi’s attitude, mentality and values ​​are first class.

“Tomi is loved by everyone and has been an integral part of the team since he joined us. The way he trains, with his desire and determination to be the best version of himself every day, is admirable. We look forward to continuing to work with Tomi in the years to come.”

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And sporting director Edu added: “We are very happy that Tomi will be with us for many years to come.

“He has enormous qualities, both on and off the pitch, and offers so much strength and versatility to our squad. Tomi is a top professional and it is great that he will continue to play an important role in achieving our goals in the coming years.”

Tomiyasu joins the likes of Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba who have committed in the past 18 months.

Arteta believes he has built a squad with a core of young talent who can challenge for major trophies in the coming years, with Tomiyasu a big part of that, both on and off the pitch.

After struggling with injuries this season, Tomiyasu – who can play at either side as a wing-back – is currently battling for a starting spot with the likes of White, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko and the returning Jurrien Timber.

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FOOTY FANS called it an “absolute scandal” to play Arsenal and Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-finals at the same time.

The Gunners got past Porto on penalties after an aggregate score of 1-1, with David Raya proving to be the shoot-out hero.

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This secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in fourteen years, but supporters were furious when a Chelsea legend picked them with Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, City sailed calmly into the last eight by beating Man Utd’s conquerors Copenhagen 6-2.

And for the third year in a row they will meet Real Madrid in the knockout stages.

Arsenal host Bayern at the Emirates Stadium, where no away fans are allowed, in the first leg, while City head to Spain.

Now UEFA have confirmed the date and times for their full quarter-final line-up – and it has left England armchair fans furious.

Arsenal and City’s first legs will take place on Tuesday, April 9 at 8pm, while the crucial return fixtures will take place on Wednesday, April 17.

One fan reacted to the news by posting: “Who the hell organizes these schedules man.

“I just checked and the Madrid/City and Arsenal/Bayern matches are taking place at the same time.”

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Another asked: “UEFA is so stupid, how do you schedule Bayern-Arsenal and City-Real at the same time?”

A third wrote: “Ffs so I can’t even watch Arsenal vs Bayern because they decided to put it at the same time as City.”

Another raged: “UEFA seriously needs to change the timing!”

A fourth asked: “What genius decided to let Bayern play Arsenal and City Madrid at the same time???”

While a fifth blasted: “Absolute scandal that they put Arsenal V Bayern and Madrid V City on the same night.”

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ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate urged fans to sack Ben White after he asked not to be picked for his country again.

Southgate, who named a 25-man squad for Brazil and Belgium, revealed the Arsenal star does not want a call-up despite his red-hot form.

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Four-cap White, 26, who signed a new four-year contract with the Gunners on Thursday, went home from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for personal reasons.

Yet Southgate says the door is still open to him, adding: “I don’t want a response. I understand that we are in a situation where that could happen.

“But he has signed a new contract so there is no doubt he has the love of the Arsenal fans.

‘The sad thing is that I would have liked to have chosen him.

“In these situations I tried to protect players. Yet that is impossible here.

“Due to the timing of the request to be taken off the longlist for our squad, I don’t think it would be right not to mention the situation we are in.

“We explained to Arsenal that we were going to do that. And when you make a decision like that, you have to support it.

“The door is open – but that is now unlikely for the euro due to the situation this month.

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“In the future I hope he thinks differently. I can’t say he doesn’t deserve to be there.”

SunSport understands the defender has not ruled out a return one day.

But Arsenal sporting director Edu called FA chief John McDermott to tell him White still did not want to be considered.

Knowing Southgate would be asked about White, Arsenal confirmed yesterday morning that he has signed until 2028.

Southgate, whose side host Brazil a week on Saturday and Belgium three days later, added: “I have to respect the decision.

“I spoke to him after Qatar and there was reluctance on his part.

“I don’t really know why that is. There is no problem between us. There is no problem with it [England No 2] Steve Holland. That has been said and I don’t like that.”

Meanwhile, Southgate fears Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, 28, could miss the Euros with a muscle injury.

He said: “The timelines suggest he will only be available in the latter stages of the season.

“You don’t know which version of the player you’re going to get.”

MIKEL ARTETA was accused of insulting the family of Porto manager Sergio Conceicao as Arsenal’s Champions League win turned ugly at full-time level.

The Gunners had lost their last SEVEN last 16 matches since beating Porto in 2010, but ended that 14-year hoodoo with a victory on penalties to reach the quarter-finals.

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David Raya saved two penalties from Wendall and Galeno, while Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice all scored from twelve yards.

Leandro Trossard had initially leveled the score with a first-half goal, but the match turned into a firecracker as Odegaard had a second-half strike disallowed for a foul in the build-up.

Arsenal celebrated the shoot-out wildly, and the dramatic victory sparked an on-pitch row between Arteta and Conceicao.

The pair appeared to embrace but Conceicao began to protest at Arteta and waved his finger at him before they parted ways. Arteta seemed unimpressed by what was said.

Trossard and Nico Gonzalez also had a flare-up before Arsenal defender Gabriel came on.

Arteta and Oleksandr Zinchenko then pulled the Gunners players away to continue celebrating.

Both Arteta and Conceicao were both booked during the match for complaining to the referees, and there was tension between both technical areas throughout.

At the post-match press conference, Arteta refused to comment on what was said between the two coaches, but Conceicao spoke out.

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Conceicao said: “The result was unjust. We deserved to continue.

“During the match and towards the bench he insulted my family in Spanish, I don’t know if this has to do with the Spanish managers.

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“And at the end I said: attention, whoever he offends is not between us, he must concentrate on training his team because they have a lot of individual qualities to do that.”

SunSport understands Arteta strongly denies the allegations.

SunSport has also approached Porto asking whether they will complain to UEFA about Conceicao’s allegations.

Conceicao has a history of accusing managers of abusing him during matches in Europe.

In October 2020, Conceicao suggested during a Champions League group stage match against Manchester City that Pep Guardiola was “obnoxious” and insulting towards Portugal.

Conceicao said: “I have a lot to learn from Pep Guardiola, in the way he puts pressure on referees, talks to opponents and the opposition dugout.

“I have to learn this. We were angels compared to the other dugout. He spoke with ugly words about our country. Guardiola’s attitude was extremely unpleasant.”

And in April 2021, after a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea, Conceicao said of then Blues boss Thomas Tuchel: “I was insulted by this man standing next door.

“I told the referee that the fourth referee had heard the insults. My English is not perfect. I was focused on the game. I don’t know why he responded.

“I heard some insults, but it’s gone… it’s not nice and my irritation ultimately had something to do with it. I haven’t even spoken to him.”

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MIKEL ARTETA kept Leandro Trossard in check during heated scenes at the final whistle after Arsenal cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Winger Trossard looked in no mood to back down as Porto players confronted him after the Gunners’ 4-2 win on penalties.

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Arsenal boss Arteta had to grab the goalscorer around the waist in the middle of the Emirates pitch and send him off.

But tensions later rose again when Porto chief Sergio Conceicao accused his counterpart of “insulting my family” during the match.

Both managers were previously booked for protesting against second-half decisions in normal time before a goalless extra half-hour.

And the flare at the end typified a night that saw the Gunners reach the quarter-finals in fiery fashion for the first time since 2010.

Trossard had struck brilliantly in the 41st minute to give Arsenal a 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw.

David Raya’s two saves in the shootout sunk the combative Portuguese visitors.

And after confrontations between players on the field, Conceicao made his astonishing claims.

The Portugal boss said: “Arteta turned to the bench during the match and insulted my family in Spanish.

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“I told him that the person he insulted is no longer with us.

“Let him worry about training his team, which has more than enough quality to play a lot better.”

Arteta, meanwhile, defended his difficult moments, especially to the officials, saying: “There is a lot at stake, you defend your team in every decision.

“You want every decision to go your way and that’s part of the game.”

And while he focused on a triumph he was ‘so proud’ of, he suggested an electric atmosphere fueled by home fans was the solution.

The Spaniard said: “We love them, the energy they gave us helped us throughout the match. They made us win – it’s as simple as that.”

Reaching the last eight made Arteta “so happy – it’s been fourteen years, a long time for a club like Arsenal”.

And referring to Raya’s exploits, he added: “We really had to dig in today and find the magic moment that we found.

“It’s very difficult to play against them because they are a very competitive team, a very good team.”

Trossard summed up Arsenal’s relief when he tweeted celebratory photos of himself at X alongside the words: “QUARTER-FINAL!!”

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DAVID RAYA showed exactly why Mikel Arteta was so keen to sign him as his penalty saves sent Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

He was joined in his penalty heroics by Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, all of whom showed nerves of steel to convert their penalties.

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However, the Gunners had to dig deep to get there after losing the first leg 1-0 in Porto this evening to make for an uphill battle.

When Leandro Trossard put the Gunners ahead it looked like they would easily get a second and perhaps even more.

But it was not to be: Porto were brutal and fortified themselves into an impenetrable base.

But ultimately the Gunners showed composure when it mattered most and their fans will be eagerly awaiting the identity of their opponents in the last eight.

This is how the Arsenal players rated…

David Raya-10

Little to do initially other than watch a couple of long-range Porto players whiz past his post, but he looked composed on the ball and his distribution was as consistent as ever.

But what he did during the shoot-out was special. Two saves of the highest quality to send his team through to the quarter-finals.

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Ben White-7

His telepathy with Bukayo Saka wasn’t quite there in the first half, struggling to get into as many attacking positions as he has in recent weeks.

Improved after the break. Arteta’s Mr Reliable made a real change.

Willem Saliba-6

Perhaps the 22-year-old showed some nerves on such a big stage, guiding long balls into danger while having time to touch the ball twice before picking up an unnecessary yellow card in the 38^e minute.

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Gabriel – 7

Showed some much-needed resilience with his partner with a yellow card for most of the match. The only disappointment was his lack of effectiveness when attacking set pieces – a real strength of his game this season.

Jakub Kiwior-8

Another solid performance in a position that doesn’t come naturally to him.

Ironically, he now looks to be Arsenal’s first left-back. His positioning and coverage were fantastic, including a huge goal-saving tackle in his own penalty area.

Jorginho-7

There has been some steel and experience added to this midfield, as well as some composure in the first half as Arsenal became frustrated in and out of possession.

He looked tired as the game went on and Arteta was right to take him off when he did.

Declan Rice – 8

Lung pain to the end, galloping from box to box, but his chances to fire in for a scoring chance were few and far between given the nature of the game.

Seemed to enjoy dictating from deep at times in a leadership role when Arsenal needed it.

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Martin Odegaard-8

He looked even more excited than usual. His pressure was tireless, giving his side an early lead, before providing a beautifully weighted assist to set up Leandro Trossard on the tee.

Was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet in the second half after his adorable stud was sent off for a major foul in the build-up.

Bukayo Saka-7

Was kicked to pieces from the opening minute, but his blistering pace wreaked havoc on the right side and gained further joy by threatening the goal later in the match.

But ultimately he was very wasteful when the odds fell his way.

Kai Havertz-7

Did a lot of the dirty work up top and almost forced the goal to make it 2-0 but was adjudged to push Pepe in the back before Odegaard converted.

Leandro Trossard-7

He seemed to be slightly off the pace until his brilliant finish in the corner just before the break. Then faded again, but was instructed by Arteta to stay on the left.

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Subs

Gabriel Jesus (on for Jorginho 83′) – 7

Had a great chance shortly after coming on, but his effort from a tight angle was well saved by Porto keeper Diogo Costa. Made a great impression and looked lively.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (in for Jakub Kiwior 106′) – 5

Was brought in to bring calmness and a bit of maturity, but struggled to do both, as well as being clumsy on the ball in the wrong areas.

Eddie Nketiah (in for Leandro Trossard 106′) – 6

Saka received a deft pass into the penalty area that should have been completed late in stoppage time.

ARSENAL fans were left furious after seeing Kai Havertz’s goal disallowed for no reason.

The Gunners pushed for a second goal in their Champions League knockout tie at home to Porto.

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And they thought they had it when Martin Odegaard finished into an empty net after a mix-up at the back for the Portuguese side.

However, Mikel Arteta, his Arsenal players and supporters let loose after Leandro Trossard’s similar referee ruled it out.

He blew his whistle for a foul by Havertz, who pulled the shirt of veteran centre-back Pepe before crashing into his own goalkeeper, allowing the ball to fall kindly to Odegaard.

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MIKEL ARTETA has called on Arsenal to seize their “beautiful” Champions League moment.

The Gunners boss has also demanded that the Emirates crowd “bring the noise” to end their 14 years of European misery.

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Arsenal must overturn a 1-0 deficit against Porto tonight to reach the quarter-finals – a stage they have not experienced since beating the same Portuguese giants in 2010.

And boss Arteta said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience one of those nights. It’s been fourteen years, so everything we put into it will be worth it.

“We have to make a lot of right decisions and then be brave. In these situations you cannot wait. You have to go and make things happen. That is the approach.”

Since taking charge of the club in December 2019, Arteta has overseen five European knockout games in the Emirates and won none of them.

Arteta added: “The details and the margins are so small. That’s a big part of these knockout games.

“One of the objectives [is to change history] and we have to build it up slowly. We have a great opportunity to do that a little bit.”

Arteta has played a huge role in transforming the atmosphere in the Emirates – once so toxic, it is now one of the north London club’s biggest strengths.

The Spaniard said of the fans: “I think the impact they can make tomorrow is incredible. I don’t think they realize it.

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‘We need that sound. We need them to play every ball with us and we also need that emotional control to understand that the game will go through certain phases.

“We have to be very intelligent to get what we want.

“It makes me want to go out there and play. It is the feeling that we have that it is a pleasure to be part of this club and to be part of these matches. It’s going to be a great evening.

“That’s the opportunity we have. For our people, in our stadium. Bring your energy, bring your sound and let’s do it together.”

Skipper Martin Odegaard said: “The difference between when I first came here and now, we do this together with the fans and that’s what’s so special.

“I feel like every time we go out there we have that extra gear, that extra boost. They help us a lot and I’m sure they will be on fire again. I can not wait.”

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THE Champions League song gives most players chills.

But Arsenal legend Martin Keown found it more of an inconvenience as he stood out in the cold.

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However, he believes it will inspire the current generation of the Gunners to rewrite history.

The former no-nonsense England defender was proud to represent the club in the Champions League for six of his 13 seasons in North London.

Keown, 57, said: “The Champions League has come a long way. I remember listening to the music and thinking, ‘What is this all about?’.

“I was used to being at Wembley before the anthem matches with England.

“But I stood there and thought, ‘It’s freezing, what are we doing here?’ Do we have to experience this every week?’.

“We are in Kiev for an away match and it is -13 and we are grown men standing in shorts.

“Now it’s an anthem in itself, it means something to this generation and they stand there as proud men listening to it.”

Before Arsenal’s group stage opener in September – their first Champions League match in six years – striker Gabriel Jesus admitted the side played the anthem in the gym as a motivational tool.

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They will hope to be inspired by it again tonight as they look to overturn their 1-0 deficit in the last 16 first leg against visitors Porto.

Keown added: “When we first played in what is now the Champions League [in 1998] it was quite a shock for us, but this Arsenal team already has some experience in Europe.

“It helped this generation and the anthem. They’ve been listening to it since they were kids and seizing the moment.”

Arsenal go into the match in good form after eight Prem wins on the spin.

Three-time Prem winner Keown said: “It’s utopia: enjoying the games, enjoying time with your family, enjoying the honors thrown at you – and still knowing what awaits you.

“You haven’t won anything yet, but it’s a nice moment. Whatever you do in the next eight weeks will shape you forever.”

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