Bukayo Saka and Dani Carvajal were involved in a heated confrontation during Arsenal's Champions League quarter-2-1 final victory over Real Madrid last night.
The flashpoint occurred at half-time after the Gunners star had missed a penalty during the first half, which was saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Carvajal, who was not in Madrid's matchday squad due to a cruciate ligament injury, approached Saka as players walked toward the tunnel.
The incident threatened to boil over before staff intervened.
Tensions escalated when Carvajal grabbed Saka on the back of the neck and pointed in his face.
The confrontation came after Saka's attempted Panenka penalty had been saved by Courtois, who dived to his left to deny the Arsenal star.
The winger swatted Carvajal away as the situation threatened to develop into a fracas.
While the exact subject of their exchange remains unknown, some speculated that Carvajal was attempting to use Saka's penalty miss to get into his head.
Members of Arsenal's backroom staff quickly intervened to lead Saka away from the confrontation.
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Several Spanish police officers who happened to be walking past the front of the tunnel also arrived promptly at the scene.
Arsenal defender Ben White, wearing his substitutes' bib, helped by steering Carvajal away from the situation.
The incident quickly de-escalated thanks to the swift intervention, with neither player booked.
Saka had initially appeared to react genially to Carvajal's approach before pulling his hand away.
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Despite the half-time drama, Saka would ultimately have the last laugh in the tie.
The 23-year-old redeemed himself in the second half by clipping the ball over Courtois at the end of a flowing move to give his side the lead, extending their aggregate advantage to 4-0.
It was the perfect response from the England international after his earlier penalty disappointment.
Madrid had been aggressive from the start as they looked to overturn a three-goal deficit.
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Real Madrid briefly threatened an unlikely comeback just two minutes after Saka's goal.
William Saliba surrendered possession cheaply to Vinicius Junior, with the Brazilian then dispatching past David Raya to give Los Blancos a glimmer of hope.
However, Arsenal secured a deserved victory when Gabriel Martinelli was released in stoppage time, with the Brazilian beating Courtois to put the tie beyond doubt.
The comprehensive victory ensured Arsenal's progression to the Champions League semi-finals.
Mikel Arteta's side will now face Paris Saint-Germain for a place in the final, with Luis Enrique's side surviving a scare to overcome Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Speaking after his side's win, Arteta said: “I’m so happy, I think it's the third time in our history, so I have to be very proud to be there [in the semi-finals] again.
"The team has shown incredible ambition, courage and willingness to compete against any opposition. It's not only the fact that we are there, I think it's the manner in which we've done it, both in London and here in Madrid, so I’m really proud of the players.
“It was my first time as a coach here, and today I realised how everything is possible in this stadium because they generate such chaos, such momentum. The crowd is really pushing them and anything can happen.
"But I think emotionally, especially after conceding, not scoring the goal with Bukayo, the way we handled that situation. These young players haven't been at this stage before, so it was remarkable.”
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