Mikel Arteta admitted his Arsenal players were 'gutted' after losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final second leg, exiting the competition 3-2 on aggregate. Joshua Kimmich's second-half header proved decisive, ending Arsenal's hopes of a first semi-final since 2009.
Arteta described the dressing room as 'gutted' and lamented the small margins that decided the tie. 'We tried against a team with a lot of experience. Through the tie the margins have been very small,' he said. The defeat caps a difficult week for Arsenal, who also slipped two points behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race after losing to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Despite the disappointment, Arteta defended his side's progress, noting that Arsenal had not played in the Champions League for seven years and had not reached this stage for 14. 'There's a reason for it. We want to do everything fast-forward super quick in one season. I think we have the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final because the margins are very small,' he said.
Arteta acknowledged that Arsenal may need more time to reach the level of Europe's elite. 'Those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don't have yet. We have to learn it. When you look historically it took other clubs seven, eight or 10 years to do it,' he added.
Looking ahead, Arteta stressed that domestic honours remain within reach. Arsenal face Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, and he expects a strong response. 'The pain is not going to go away, certainly tonight, but I can guarantee you by tomorrow we're fully focused on Wolves and everybody is lifted. What we still have to play for is beautiful,' he said.
Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel, who will leave the club at the end of the season, hailed a 'fantastic performance' and said the win meant 'a lot'. He praised his team for pushing it over the line in a tightly contested tie.
