Declan Rice was full of praise for Arsenal team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was "thrown in at the deep end in a Champions League semi-final".

Arsenal booked their spot in the showpiece with a 2-1 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid, with Bukayo Saka's first-half goal getting the job done in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

After his impressive showing against Fulham on the weekend, Lewis-Skelly was rewarded with another start alongside Rice.

Lewis-Skelly started in a Champions League semi-final for a third time (after doing so twice v Paris Saint-Germain last season), with only two players starting in more as a teenager (Iker Casillas and Kanu, four each).

The 19-year-old, who was not born when Arsenal last reached the Champions League final, completed 44 of his 49 attempted passes (third-most for Arsenal) and was unlucky not to create a goal when he flashed a cross into the six-yard box in the first half.

Lewis-Skelly also won 100% of his aerial duels (3/3) as he helped keep Atleti's forwards at bay before being replaced in the 74th minute.

Rice was not surprised by Lewis-Skelly's performance, and credited his midfield partner for his resilience this season.

"We've always known what Myles can do," Rice told Amazon Prime.

"Last year, when he played so many games. When he played at left-back at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, he really stepped up at 18, I thought ‘Wow, we have a player’.

"Our manager this year has been tough on him behind the scenes. He's not played as much as much as he’s wanted, but he’s got his head down and kept working.

"He does everything right – in early, training, gym. Now he's got his chance, he's ready, he's taken it.

"To be thrown in at the deep end in a Champions League semi-final, to perform how he did, so good."

Arsenal kept a clean sheet for the 30th time across all competitions this season, with this their most in a single campaign since 1993-94 (30) and most by a Premier League team since Liverpool in 2021-22 (32).