Drive on Interstate 10 along the Gulf Coast of the United States, through Louisiana and into Texas, and you’ll see signs of the oil industry everywhere. There are offshore rigs out in the water and refineries lining the shoreline, where tankers deposit crude oil extracted from the Gulf floor.

But what you might not realise from looking at the surface, is that this area is also home to a network of underground salt deposits, known as salt domes.

And dug down deep inside them are caverns, carved out in the late 1970s, that contain the  Strategic Petroleum Reserve, America’s huge stockpile of oil. 

Current stocks stand at 374 million barrels worth of oil, well short of its capacity of 714 million barrels.

With the Strait of Hormuz now closed for more than two months, global oil supplies are being squeezed, with warnings mounting about shortages affecting global industries, from aviation to agriculture. In March 2026, as part of a co-ordinated move by members of the International Energy Agency to release 400 million barrels of oil to prevent price spikes, the U.S. began releasing 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Globally, at the end of 2025, global strategic oil stockpiles were estimated at 2.5 billion barrels, with China holding the most.

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to Scott Montgomery, a former petroleum geologist who lectures in international studies at the University of Washington, about why these oil stockpiles were built up in the first place, and how they work.

Montgomery says salt is an ideal place to store oil because it’s impermeable, but also quite movable under the right amount of pressure. “These are not huge open gaping caverns … we haven’t hollowed out the salt dome. We actually have 60 separate smaller what are called bottles, about 200 feet (60 meters) in diameter and up to 2,000 feet (610 meters) in vertical length,” he explains.

But Montgomery says that there is only a certain number of times that oil can be taken out and put back into the bottles. “These really have a safety margin of about five cycles of drawing oil out of them and putting oil back,” he says, without dissolving the sides of the cavern too much. “The geological reality … is that we’re going too have to make new caverns.”

Listen to the interview with Scott Montgomery on The Conversation Weekly podcast, where he traces the history of strategic oil reserves, and explains what happens when they run out.

This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware, Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

Newsclips in this episode are from DW News and CBS News.

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

But there was nothing lucky about Havertz’s masterful finish. Havertz, who has form on the big stage, having fired Chelsea to Champions League glory against Manchester City five years and one day ago, took three decisive touches with his left foot before unleashing his fourth into the roof of the net.

Gateshead Council is now considering plans to repurpose The Bensham Jockey, on Bensham Road, into seven flats with a new shopping area on the ground level. The plans call for the demolition of the current ground floor extensions to make way for a 178m2 commercial floor plan.

The pub had been previously known as the Ravensworth Hotel. 

The proposals also include 11 parking spaces including one specifically for motorbikes. A disabled bay and electric car area are also planned.

The application’s transport report states: “There is a huge number and wide range of local amenities within convenient walking and cycling distances of the site. It is therefore the case that the proposed development is located in an extremely sustainable location.” 

The application goes on to state the site is well serviced by public transport including several bus routes. 

A previous application for similar plans was approved by the local authority in 2024.

The council’s report at the time stated: “The application will see a redundant building brought back into use. The building has become rundown over the years and therefore it is considered the proposed external alterations would bring the building back to a usable state and the alterations would positively contribute to the immediate vicinity.” 

At the time of publication the application has yet not been decided by either councillors or council planners. The plans remain open to public commentary through the local authority’s online planning portal.

Queer Art, by curators Mollie E. Barnes and Gemma Rolls-Bentley, isn’t afraid to ask questions: what queerness is, what queer art can be, and why queer art matters.

The book’s introduction states that “queer art is not a genre but a gesture; a refusal to be pinned down by fixed identity categories”. Queerness in art can appear both openly and subtly, often through coded, abstract or unconventional forms that challenge heteronormative expectations.

The opening chapter asks “why talk about queer art?”, which is akin to asking why queer art matters. The book answers this in subtle and varied ways. Because queerness exists as a marginal identity, it offers alternative perspectives and forms of freedom that are often shared and experienced collectively.

The word “queer” was first reclaimed in the late 1980s among the homosexual or gay and lesbian community, as it then defined itself. As professor of gender studies Heather Love put it, the word evoked the “long history of insult and abuse – you could hear the hurt in it”.

Queer Art manages to avoid reductive framing. Although sexual content is an important aspect, queer expression goes far beyond this, and the book reflects that range.

It covers a wide variety of subjects presented in different styles, from figurative work to collage and abstraction. This diversity is expanded through multiple mediums including painting, photography, film and even computer games.

A prime example is the paintings of Julie Mehretu, who resists labels such as “queer artist” or “Black artist”, instead framing her practice as a fluid commitment to complexity, multiplicity and resistance to hierarchy.

The book also includes a broad account of queer history, from Greek mythology to the present day. Contemporary and historical artworks are shown side by side, allowing earlier works to be reinterpreted through a queer lens.

In doing so, queerness is brought into focus within art history, while historical works gain renewed relevance. Queerness as a marginal perspective encourages us to rethink past, present and future.

Inside queer art

The variety of artistic practices presented offers a carefully curated recognition of different aesthetic approaches. These often contrast but also complement each other across time periods and geographies.

For example, Tamara de Lempicka’s painting The Girls (1930), depicting a lesbian embrace, feels both contemporary and timeless. Salman Toor’s The Green Room (2019) suggests a tension between desire and prohibition.

Each chapter focuses on a theme, discussed in a two-page mini essay with an artwork and reading list – a format typical of Thames & Hudson publications. Each artist is then given a double-page spread combining image and text. These thematic groupings create space to explore queer subjectivity in more layered ways, broadening the dialogue between artwork and identity.

The selected artists are international and often already well known within queer art discourse. The images are bold, striking and diverse.

The final chapter focuses on queer futurism – an approach that uses speculative storytelling to imagine futures where queerness is centred. It notes that: “Queer artists often explore the future, because the present feels insufficient, constricting or even hostile.”

Quoting critical theoriest José Esteban Muñoz, it states: “Queerness is ‘not yet here’ – it exists not only in lived experience but also in the realm of possibility.”

What connects queer futurism and Afrofuturism is their response to absence in dominant historical narratives. Afrofuturism draws on science fiction, history and African diasporic culture to reimagine Black identity across time. Both movements use imagination and fiction to fill gaps left by “official” histories.

Two artists working across these ideas are Zanele Muholi and Isaac Julien. Julien’s film Looking for Langston (1989) blends archive, fiction and historical reconstruction to address the absence of queer lives within accounts of the Harlem Renaissance. It reimagines Black cultural life through a speculative lens, filling gaps in the historical record.

Muholi’s project Faces and Phases (2006–present) presents over 600 portraits of Black LGBTQIA lives, described as “participants” to emphasise agency. Their work forms a living archive, extending into their self-portrait series Somnyama Ngonyama II (2015) – where their gaze confronts the viewer, reflecting experiences of racial and queer violence while refusing easy consumption of suffering.

The queer futurism chapter emphasises that this is “not an escapist fantasy”, but one of “soft revolutions, radical propositions and acts of survival”. It includes new media such as gaming – for example, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s work reconstructing Black trans histories through interactive digital archives.

As the book states: “Trans and non-binary artists are at the forefront of queer futurity, with works that challenge fixed categories and imagine new forms of embodiment.”

The final statement in chapter one sums up the book’s aim: queer art history has often been shaped by white men, excluding people of colour, women and trans people from its definitions. The book expands this narrative to include a much wider range of queer identities and practices.

The front cover reflects this shift too. Following Barbara Kruger’s feminist work Untitled: Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face (1981), Del LaGrace Volcano’s The Boxer Johnny Berlin (1996) shows an androgynous boxer wearing lipstick that matches their glove.

This image holds ambiguity between seduction and confrontation, desire and resistance. Meaning is carried in the boxer’s gaze, but interpretation is never fixed. This complexity captures the central premise of the book: queer expression as fluid, open and resistant to definition.

The result is a broader, more inclusive account of queer art.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

While the final typically starts at 8pm UK time, this year there has been a schedule change.

Here is why the timings are different and when the final is on.

When is the Champions League final?

The Champions League final: Paris Saint-Germain 🆚 Arsenal

🎨 @elfalso92 | #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/JFLbViR2BK

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 30, 2026

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The Champions League final takes place tonight, Saturday, May 30, in Budapest, Hungary, with kick-off at 5pm.

Arsenal are looking to win the competition for the first time in their history, having reached the final only once before, in 2006.

They faced Barcelona in Paris and even took the lead before going on to lose 2-1.

They have also reached the semi-finals twice before, once in 2009 and again last year, where they lost to PSG.

PSG are looking to win the competition for a second year in a row, having won it for the first time in 2025, beating Inter Milan 5-0.

Why is the Champions League final on at 5pm this year?

Both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League finals kicked off at 8pm UK time this year, which saw two English teams, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, both win.

The Champions League final has always been played at 8pm UK time too, since it moved to Saturday in 2010.

The Champions League final takes place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary (Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)

UEFA have confirmed that the kick-off time has been changed to “enhance the overall matchday experience for fans, teams and host cities”.

It follows complaints from supporters in previous years around logistical issues, for example, in 2023, when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team did not receive the trophy after beating Inter Milan until 00:15 because of a 10pm kick-off.

As a result, thousands of fans struggled to return from Ataturk Stadium to Istanbul.

A statement from UEFA said: “Our goal is to make matchday a truly enjoyable experience for everyone who wants to be part of the excitement, while creating a welcoming atmosphere that makes it easy for families and children to attend the biggest and most important club football match of the season.

“For travelling supporters, it will mean improved access to public transport – especially after the match – and a safer, more convenient journey back from the stadium.

“For the host cities, it will boost the positive economic impact of the event by giving fans the possibility to continue their celebrations.

“The new kick-off time also aligns with a more accessible broadcasting window, helping the final reach an even broader television and digital audience worldwide, with a particular focus on engaging younger viewers.”

Fans have been soaking in the atmopshere in Budapest ahead of the final (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin adds: “With this change, we are placing the fans’ experience at the heart of our planning.

“The UEFA Champions League final is the highlight of the football season, and the new kick-off time will make it even more accessible, inclusive, and impactful for everyone involved.

“While a 21:00 CET kick-off is well suited for midweek matches, an earlier kick-off on a Saturday for the final means an earlier finish – regardless of extra time or penalties – and offers fans the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the evening with friends and family, reflecting on the game of the season.”

Is the Champions League final free in the UK? How to watch

For the first time in its 34-year history, UK fans will not be able to watch the Champions League final without paying extra for it.

Anyone wanting to watch the action will need to be subscribed to HBO Max.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who supports Arsenal, wrote to TNT Sports to ask them to make the coverage free for UK viewers.

However, TNT Sports said the option of a £4.99 month-long subscription to HBO Max to watch the games was “exceptional value”.

A TNT Sports spokesman said: “It has been a privilege to bring UEFA club competitions to sports fans across the UK throughout the season.

“Having three Premier League clubs reach the finals shows the strength of English football and something that we are proud to continue to support.

“We have made all three UEFA finals this year available from just £4.99, the price for a month-long subscription to HBO Max that also includes the great entertainment on the service.

“This represents exceptional value for fans to watch the conclusion of the competitions.”

Will you be watching the Champions League final tonight? Let us know in the comments.

A new month dawns, giving us a clean slate, followed by the shift of Mercury into Cancer, which brings family and home themes under the spotlight.

This may mean nostalgic memories surface and you want to recreate what was once so magical.

Summer isn’t far away now either — lazier days, longer nights, an invitation to be playful and have more fun. Let’s accelerate towards that lovely feeling now; a practice run if you like!

Let the tarot cards guide us towards the real fun awaiting us this week. What person, place or activity is going to give us a real good time?

Aries

March 21 to April 20

Tarot card for Aries for this week: Seven of Cups

Meaning: The good times this week are already living inside your imagination — you are the zodiac’s ultimate party starter, after all. So, all you need to do is get what you are dreaming of doing into your real life. Tell them about it. Book it. Reserve it. Share it. Organise it.

Don’t worry about folk saying no thanks, or laughing, or belittling your idea. People are actually envious of your big dreams, your larger than life ideas, and your uncanny ability to pull it all off! Do something that will make this week a week to remember forever! I dare you.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aries

Taurus

April 21 to May 21

Tarot card for Taurus for this week: Judgement

Meaning: You just want to do something for yourself, possibly by yourself (or with a mirror soul), and enjoy it without anyone judging, interfering or wanting a piece of the action or your time. Is that too much to ask? No it is not, Taurus.

Judgement wants you to be authentic and fully present, to invest in something that you alone crave doing and want to enjoy. A spa day, shopping, reading in a cosy spot, going on a hike, getting a major makeover, signing up to a class or course that fascinates you. Do it. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Make yourself the main character.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Taurus

Gemini

May 22 to June 21

Tarot card for Gemini for this week: Ten of Cups

Meaning: Your love life and inner circle is where it’s all at this week, Gemini, it is your sign’s season after all, so you’re kind of the centre of attention — rightly so! You may find yourself falling (deeper) in love, wandering out with a new friend who feels like a soulmate, receiving news of a secret admirer that makes you feel excited, or creating an alliance with someone at work and knowing you’ve got each other’s backs.

Folks underestimate your loyalty, your steadfast devotion to people and ability to enhance their life. You’re an asset, a treasure, and a gem of a person. Act like it, know it, believe it, and enjoy the fruits of it this week.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Gemini

Cancer

June 22 to July 23

Tarot card for Cancer for this week: Eight of Swords

Meaning: The good time for you this week is found by switching off the ‘overthinking’ and ‘assumption’ gears in your brain. All the way off. Stop assuming you know what folk really think about you. In fact, stop caring too!

Your self worth and inner value comes from your own perspective and understanding of your nature, progress and struggles. All you can do is measure the version of you now with the past version — do you think you’re growing, learning, improving? If so, celebrate and keep going. If not, don’t worry, just set a small goal this week that will take you from A to B, in some way. Prove you can do it. And repeat.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Cancer

Leo

July 24 to August 23

Tarot card for Leo for this week: Ten of Wands

Meaning: Take a break this week! Kick back, switch on the ‘out of office’ (mentally if not physically), and make your leisure time feel like a true vacation… sunbathing, cocktails, late nights, long walks, romantic gestures, ‘what if’ thinking and ideas.

You have been working so hard recently, investing a lot of mental energy into something, and you’re closer to a mini burnout than you may realise. Sidestep that outcome by simply resting, enjoying your time, turning away from the problems for a while (some may resolve themselves, and you’ll return to what’s left with a clearer head and new set of ideas). Vacation time.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Leo

Virgo

August 24 to September 23

Tarot card for Virgo for this week: The Sun

Meaning: The Sun promises that you are due to have a wonderful week, maybe the best of 2026 so far! A bold promise, yes, but this is a great card. It’s like a portal is opening up in front of you — and if you’re bold enough to take a leap and jump through it, you will land in a realm of success, joy and happiness.

What bold leap can you take? Maybe it’s a pitch, an idea launched, an application, a trip booked, a date arranged, a person welcomed, a decision made. Something that represents hope and optimism for you, that represents a move forwards to a better place. You are being blessed with good fortune this week, use it to make a wonderful step to a brighter future.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Virgo

Libra

September 24 to October 23

Tarot card for Libra for this week: Three of Cups

Meaning: You are the good time, this week, Libra! Ruled by Venus, you’re blessed with beauty, pleasure and wealth. You innately know how to be good company and how to make sure folk have a good time. So, your mission this week is to be social, to get around as many folk as you know and like.

Don’t make this a chore. Truly choose to spend time with people you love, have missed, or know match your upbeat vibes. Do new things together to create new memories and connections. Visit magical places, try something offbeat, do the luxury option, test the new venue in town. Live life well with folk you like. It can all be that simple.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Libra

Scorpio

October 24 to November 22

Tarot card for Scorpio for this week: Two of Swords

Meaning: The good times are waiting for you, this week, on the other side of a big decision you’ve been putting off making or even facing up to. Not like you, because you’re typically a fearless progressive, always moving forwards with your ambitions. Maybe this is a head vs heart decision. Maybe you feel truly torn between options. Procrastination isn’t, however, helping matters. You may lose out altogether if you don’t ‘pick a side’ soon.

So, dedicate the first half of this week to researching, discussing and executing your preferred choice. Don’t overthink. You can always make a new choice if it proves to be wrong. Don’t worry. And then spend the second half of the week enjoying yourself and toasting your good judgement! I have a feeling you will do the right thing!

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Scorpio

Sagittarius

November 23 to December 21

Tarot card for Sagittarius for this week: The Chariot

Meaning: If this week is all about enjoying yourself then The Chariot is a very apt card for you. It represents travel: journeys, outings, new vehicles, adventures, quests, holidays and major moves in home and/or location. You adore moving around, broadening your horizons, seeing new places and this card is a strong invitation to do so!

The Chariot also represents purpose and aligning your place or home with what you want your life to be about. Are you in the right place? Would a move open up fresh options? Consider carefully. You could be focused on travel very soon, certainly by July.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Sagittarius

Capricorn

December 22 to January 21

Tarot card for Capricorn for this week: Three of Swords

Meaning: The route to contentment, peace and simply feeling happy in your own skin this week is to surgically remove the known thorns in your side. And you know what (or who) they are.

The Three of Swords is permission to ghost, block and withdraw. Do what is necessary to distance yourself from toxicity, in all its guises. A toxic situation will change you long before you could change it. If you’ve been treated badly, lied to, betrayed, backstabbed, or cast aside… walk away. Give them the gift of your absolute absence. They deserve it.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Capricorn

Aquarius

January 22 to February 19

Tarot card for Aquarius for this week: Page of Cups

Meaning: Your inner child knows that summer is on the way and is already awake with plenty of ideas for fun! Tune into your childhood memories, photos, music, friendships and hobbies this week with the wide-eyed, wholesome Page of Cups.

Get creative with how you could reinvent and repurpose something from your past for your present. Nostalgia is a lovely feeling and sometimes a signal that something from long ago can still be meaningful and useful and rewarding for you in the here and now. Tune in.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aquarius

Pisces

February 20 to March 20

Tarot card for Pisces for this week: Nine of Wands

Meaning: Pisces, deploy a simple trick this week. Do the hard work first. Get up early, be first to it, and get the bad chores, the worst tasks, the dreaded stuff, out of the way. This is how you’ll have fun this week.

When you dread doing something, it infects your whole realm, your overall mood. Remove that fly from your ointment by resolving to do whatever it is that feels heavy or difficult way ahead of schedule. The Nine of Wands promises it will go a lot easier and quicker than you imagine, which will be a cause for celebration in and of itself.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Pisces

Kerry King has been reading, teaching and creating tarot for 30 years. Join her magical, exclusive Tarot Club for forecasts, predictions, lessons and readings straight to your inbox. Enjoy one month free for all Metro readers (no lock-in or commitment) over on Patreon.

Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.

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Chen Jiao has a curious job: transforming visitors to resemble empresses from ancient China as young people explore a revival of traditional culture.

She is one of hundreds of makeup artists working at studios in Beijing near the Forbidden City, once home to the emperors of China’s last two dynasties, Ming and Qing.

Every day, visitors arrive to dress in robes richly embroidered with phoenixes and adorn themselves with jade and pearl pendants and gold fingernail guards like those worn in imperial China. Makeup is carefully applied, and their hair is styled and decorated with tassels and hairpins.

The average cost is 300 yuan ($45), though prices can exceed 1,000 yuan (more than $150).

Once dressed up, people go to the walls and moat surrounding the Forbidden City to pose for photos and videos to share on social media. Blending echoes of ancient times with modernity, some pair their historic costumes with sneakers and sunglasses and drink bubble tea.

“It can get very busy during peak seasons, especially public holidays and weekends,” Chen said.

Recently, she began work at 6 a.m. and transformed around two dozen young women in a single day. There is no off-season for makeup artists, only a brief lull when the Forbidden City closes, she said.

Recent years have seen a trend among young people for immersive experiences in historical Chinese costume, which in Beijing is mainly inspired by the country’s last two dynasties.

The Ming dynasty, which ruled for more than 270 years until 1644, built the Forbidden City and reinforced the Great Wall. The Qing dynasty, ruled by the Manchu people, itself collapsed in 1912, ending more than two millennia of imperial rule.

Chen Xiao is among the tourists who now come for the the styling activities at Beijing’s historical sites.. A college student from the eastern province of Shandong, Chen traveled overnight to the capital during the recent Qingming holiday.

“I feel like if you’re at a specific location, you should wear something that fits the setting,” Chen said, wearing a pink outfit typically associated with a “Gege,” or Qing dynasty princess.

The building where Chen Jiao’s studio is located illustrates the rapid growth. Around 2020, only a handful of costume styling studios operated there. Now there are more than 100, according to local media.

“Young Chinese people have discovered the aesthetic appeal of traditional clothing while learning about China’s rich cultural heritage,” said Cai Zehong, founder of Hanfu Beijing, one of the earliest ancient-costume associations created by enthusiasts to promote traditions and cultures by the majority Han ethnicity.

The long popularity of historical costume dramas in China has contributed to the trend.

“I’ve watched a lot of historical costume dramas,” Chen Xiao said. “I think I’ve definitely been influenced by those shows. Lately, I’ve been quite into Qing dynasty history.

Liu Ruitong, a college student visiting from Hebei province, opted for a black Ming-style costume.

“I think this look feels very elegant and dignified, especially in its color palette. I chose black because it pairs beautifully with the Forbidden City and with traditional Chinese scenery in general.” Liu said.

___

Associated Press video journalist Wu Jia in Beijing contributed to this report.

The freehold residential development at Crossley Court, Clarence Street, is fully let, generating an annual income of around £156,000, with an additional £4,800 from four parking spaces that are let separately.

The modern property is being marketed by Milburns Commercial Ltd, on High Petergate, who say: “The property represents an incredible investment opportunity with all 13 properties let.”

Crossley Court apartments on Clarence Street, York, for sale – the block of 13 apartments is being marketed by Milburns Commercial Ltd.

It was built about 19 years ago, and features six two-bedroom apartments and seven one-bedroom apartments, all self-contained with their own kitchens and bathrooms. It is arranged across two blocks with a central courtyard, offering a total of eight parking spaces.

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The property has a front entrance onto Clarence Street by foot with access for vehicles from Brook Street at the rear.

A block of 13 apartments at Crossley Court, Clarence Street, York, is being marketed by Milburns Commercial Ltd. Photo: Milburns Commercial Ltd

Five of the parking spaces are located within the courtyard, while three are positioned to the rear and currently let on a separate annual income. The development also includes a communal lobby and stairwell, secure bin storage and a bike store.

The site sits less than a mile from York city centre, with access to both York St John University and York Hospital nearby.

According to the marketing details, the property presents an investment opportunity with a gross yield of 6.72% on residential lets and parking. As a freehold, it also offers potential for conversion to short-term or holiday letting, which could increase income.

The sight of Gabriel wiping away tears as PSG’s players celebrated with the trophy will be one that lingers long in the memory of Arsenal supporters.

The Brazilian, one of Mikel Arteta’s first signings after taking charge in December 2019, has been a driving force behind the club’s rise back to the summit of English football and their Premier League title triumph this season.

He started 48 of Arsenal‘s 63 matches across all competitions and contributed nine goals and assists – more than both Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus.

While rival fans may focus on his miss in Budapest, Arsenal supporters will remember the countless occasions he delivered for his side, including a dramatic 96th-minute winner against Newcastle United in September.

“I’ve just listened to Declan Rice talking about how he has run out of words to describe Gabriel because he has been so important and so good for Arsenal all season, and over the past few years as well,” former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport.

“So for him to be the one who misses the penalty that costs them the Champions League final is heartbreaking.

“But I think everyone will rally around him because Arsenal would not have won the Premier League without him. He has been invaluable and, quite rightly, is in the conversation for PFA Player of the Year.

“The pressure is always there in a shootout. You can practice penalties in training, but in a Champions League final you can never truly prepare for that moment. Unfortunately, he has experienced what every player dreads – missing the penalty that decides a final.”

Former England defender Upson added: “It’s one of those moments that will be remembered for years, a cruel blow for a player who has been a tower of strength for Arsenal.

“Gabriel gave everything for his team. He showed the mentality and courage to step forward and take responsibility, which is all you can ask of any player.

“It is desperately sad for him, but he strikes me as someone who will recover quickly and use it as motivation. He still has a huge summer ahead with Brazil.”

For one night, Gabriel was the face of Arsenal‘s heartbreak. It should not detract from the fact he was also one of the main reasons they got there in the first place.