A bullet header from Joshua Kimmich saw Bayern Munich win 1-0 in their Champions League quarter-final second leg, claiming a 3-2 aggregate victory and knocking Arsenal out of the competition.

The return leg did not quite have the drama of the first at the Emirates, where the game ended in a 2-2 draw, but the Germans took advantage of a moment of lax Arsenal defending.

Kimmich powered home his effort just after the hour to see the Gunners beaten, suffering another blow to their hopes of silverware this season after a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Super Sunday.

“At the moment it is a really gutted dressing room. Very disappointed,” Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports after the game.

“I cannot find the right words to lift them. I wish I had. We have to go through it.

“The club has been without Champions League football for seven years and you want to play in the first year and be in the semi-finals or the final.

“We all wanted that so badly but you can see in many other clubs it takes them sometimes six or seven years to get to that stage. We were very close, that’s the reality.

“We have to go through the pain tonight and tomorrow, get up and come with the same attitude we had here, and hopefully beat Wolves.”

Bayern will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals after they beat holders Manchester City on penalties in Wednesday’s other quarter-final. The tie is set to take place on April 30 or May 1 and May 7 or 8.

How Bayern knocked out Arsenal

Despite a goalless first half, both teams had chances. The hosts went close around the 20-minute mark, when Ben White was needed to make a vital clearance from Noussair Mazraoui’s dangerous cross.

David Raya was then needed to keep out a long-range effort from Jamal Musiala, with Bayern’s main goal threat – Harry Kane – registering just one touch in the opposition box.

But Arsenal soon began to kick into gear, as Manuel Neuer saved from Martin Odegaard, needing a second touch to keep the ball from going out for a corner.

But Arsenal’s best chance of the half came when Martinelli connected with Odegaard’s cross, but his shot went straight at the goalkeeper.

Immediately after the break, Bayern hit the post twice. Leon Goretzka’s header smacked the woodwork with Raya beaten. Raphael Guerreiro’s follow up was then put onto the upright by William Saliba.

And just after the hour, the hosts broke the deadlock. Guerriero picked up a loose ball on the left of the area. He lifted his head with enough time to spot the run of Kimmich from deep – losing his marker Martinelli – with the German nodding a powerful header past Raya.

After going behind, Arsenal couldn’t quite rediscover their momentum. There were a few half chances, while Musiala went closest at the other end for Bayern, but it was ultimately Kimmich’s header that decided the tie.

Arteta: Margins in the tie were small

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to TNT Sports: “We tried against a team who has a lot of experience and through the tie the margins have been very small. There were moments where we were better.

“We gave them two goals and in the tie that was a big advantage to give away.

“You could see there was zero margin for error and we made a big mistake defending the box to concede the goal. Then it was difficult. We tried in many different ways but it’s difficult.

“This is the moment to stay next to the players and give them support. We need to stick with them because they are the ones who have taken us on in this journey.

“It has to be a mistake or a magic moment that normally unlocks this tie. We didn’t manage to win the first leg right at the end and we could have done.

“We were better than them then and today we had a lot of moments of dominance, but that spark around the box is what you need in these ties to get a victory.

“What we have left to play [for] is beautiful.”

Analysis: Just the start for Arsenal in Champions League

Sky Sports’ Oliver Yew:

Another chance of silverware slipped from Arsenal’s grasp in Munich.

It was another disappointing night for the Gunners following their defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, which handed Man City the initiative in the Premier League title race.

However, while Sunday’s result left the Emirates Stadium flat and deflated as hopes of winning a first Premier League title since 2003/04 suffered a setback, defeat in Europe can be a crucial part of the building and learning process for Mikel Arteta’s young side as they look to become a real force in the Champions League.

“We have to go through the pain,” Arteta said after the 1-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena, which saw the Gunners crash out of the tournament 3-2 on aggregate. “The club has been without Champions League football for seven years and you want to play in the first year and be in the semi-finals or the final. We all wanted that so badly, but you can see in many other clubs it takes them sometimes six or seven years to get to that stage. But we were very close, that’s the reality.”

Manchester City didn’t make it out of the group stage in their two appearances in the Champions League. They reached one semi-final in their first eight goes at it. They reached the final in their 10th crack at it and only lifted the trophy at the 13th attempt.

The point is it takes time and there’s no shame in a quarter-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, who reached a 14th semi-final in the competition.

Arsenal’s lack of experience showed in this tie as they handed the initiative to Bayern at a crucial time in the first leg when they were dominant. They switched off for a split second in the second and they were punished. Arteta said it himself: “There was zero margin.”

But just as sides have gone through it before them in Europe’s premier club competition, this young Arsenal side will learn from this. Arteta will learn from this, and the challenge is to keep building, keep improving and going on the trajectory they have been, and come back stronger for another crack next season.

Tuchel: Everyone needs to step up for semi-finals

Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel:

“It was a chess game in the first half. Nobody wanted to make the first mistake. Everyone played a bit safe – there were moments for us, there were moments for Arsenal. We encouraged the team at half-time to show a bit more personality, a bit more courage. We were more fluid and played a fantastic second half. We deserved to win.

“It’s always better to play in front of your own fans. With every tackle and every good action, you get the support and it lifts you and gives you a second wind. Now it’s the semi-finals and everyone needs to step up – we need to step up and the supporters need to step up again.

“Today we had three free seats on the bench. On the other side, there were no injuries. We lost our maximum speed from the first match in Davies, Coman and Gnabry. We needed to find solutions and we did it as a team. My biggest congratulations and compliments to the team. We are very happy.”

Opta stats – Bayern reach another semi-final

• Bayern Munich have reached their 13th UEFA Champions League semi-final, with only Real Madrid reaching more.
• Arsenal have lost eight UEFA Champions League matches against Bayern Munich, two more than they’ve lost against any other side.
• Five of Joshua Kimmich’s last seven UEFA Champions League goals for Bayern Munich have come in the knockout stages (two in semi-finals, three in quarter-finals). Tonight’s goal was only his second in his last 32 appearances in the competition, his other also coming against an English side in a home quarter-final tie (April 2023 vs Man City).

What’s next?

Arsenal look to reignite their Premier League title hopes at Wolves on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off 7.30pm.

Bayern visit FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday April 20, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off 5.30pm.

Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW

Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket and so much more.

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!

You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!

Find out more here.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Mikel Arteta believes Champions League success against Bayern Munich will take Arsenal to the next level as he told his players to ‘write a different story’ at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane believes Tottenham fans will be hoping he can knock out his former club’s fierce rivals Arsenal in the Champions League – despite a Gunners victory actually helping Spurs.

Tottenham’s Champions League qualification hopes took a big dent over the weekend after their 4-0 defeat at Newcastle saw them slip out of the top four into fifth place.

Yet fifth spot could be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League if the Premier League earns one of the two extra places available through UEFA’s coefficient system, which is decided on performance in Europe this season.

But England’s top flight (16.750) is currently missing out on an extra spot with Germany narrowly ahead of them in second (16.785), while Italy (18.428) are all but assured of a place.

An Arsenal victory over Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final – which is finely poised following the 2-2 first-leg draw – would significantly improve England’s chances of securing an extra place in next season’s competition.

It leaves Spurs fans in an awkward position over whether they should be cheering on their arch rivals against Bayern.

When questioned about potentially hurting Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification with a win over Arsenal, Kane joked: “I don’t really know how to answer that!”

But Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer believes his former fans will be wanting him to help end the Gunners’ pursuit of a first European Cup.

He later added in the pre-match press conference: “Of course I know there will be a lot of Spurs fans watching hoping Bayern Munich go through tomorrow night.

“I can’t focus on that. All I can do is try and beat the team in front of us, and that’s Arsenal.”

Kane: Bayern season a failure without Champions League win

Kane admits the season will be a failure if Bayern Munich do not win the Champions League.

Bayer Leverkusen romped to the Bundesliga title at the weekend, ending Bayern’s run of 11 straight league trophies and leaving them with only Europe’s highest honour to play for.

While Kane has excelled individually, his wait to win a team trophy after more than a decade without one at Tottenham could well continue.

The England captain said: “Of course every player, every club wants to win trophies, that’s the ultimate goal every season, but there’s a process into winning, there’s a process individually and in the team.

“You want to improve as a player every year, you want to show the world your capabilities and you want to push yourself to the very limits and you hope that helps with the team.

“Of course, from the club’s point of view it will be a failed season if we don’t win anything this year because we’re expected to win but all we can do is take that into next year and try and turn that around.

“The main thing for us is we still have an opportunity to turn this season into a great season if we win the Champions League. That motivation is still there and as players you can only hang onto that. If we can do something special tomorrow night then of course that keeps that hope alive.

“It’s a time to raise our game, it’s a time for me and the players who have been in big situations, pressure situations, to step up and be counted. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere. There’s a lot of expectation but I think there’s a good belief among the squad that we can achieve something tomorrow.”

State of play: The race for the extra Champions League spot

The quarter-finals of this year’s European competitions are only at the midway point, but England’s hopes of pipping Germany in the race for an extra Champions League spot look set to go down to the wire.

The Premier League still has a 57.8 per cent chance of claiming the bonus Champions League spot, according to Opta. However, those chances have been declining, plummeting 13 per cent after last week’s results.

With Germany and England neck-and-neck in that race, each win, draw and qualification for the next rounds is huge.

Each win is worth two coefficient points, a draw gets you one, and you get nothing for a defeat. There are also bonus points for getting to certain stages, so if Borussia Dortmund overturn their Champions League first-leg 2-1 deficit to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, that will give Germany a further bonus point in their ranking.

Tottenham and Aston Villa fans will be watching closely in the hope Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid can do them a favour.

Victories for Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta over West Ham and Liverpool respectively in the Europa League this week could also prove crucial in the coefficient race.

Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW

Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket and so much more.

Skip to content

On a dramatic Super Sunday where Arsenal and Liverpool’s title challenges were significantly dented, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville says the Gunners must show what they are made of against Bayern Munich – and feels Jurgen Klopp’s side have “overachieved” this season.

Manchester City ultimately proved the big winners on Sunday after Liverpool were beaten 1-0 at home by Crystal Palace before Aston Villa scored twice in the second half to win 2-0 at Arsenal.

City are two points clear of both their title rivals at the summit, and Neville admits it now looks “ominous” for Arsenal and Liverpool with six Premier League games left to go this season.

“It was a really bad day (for Arsenal and Liverpool),” Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

“It can happen, you can lose football matches, but you’re up against perfection. And when Liverpool had City at Anfield, and when Arsenal I felt had City at a potential weak point in that game at the Etihad, I just feel they needed to win to move the mountain, because you can always lose a game.

“I’m really surprised by Liverpool at home to Palace, I’m really surprised, although they have had a difficult week. The game for Arsenal was a lot more difficult and they played with a really good performance level in the first half.

“But it feels a little ominous, it feels a little inevitable that the Manchester City, Pep Guardiola machine rises to the top with a few games left. They are going to be very, very difficult to stop – that’s an understatement.

“It’s a painful one for Arsenal. I don’t know how they recover. It’s a big question mark as to how they recover before Wednesday now (and the Champions League second leg away in Munich). I’m not saying they won’t, and I hope they can because it is a cup competition. But the Allianz is a fierce place and they will be heading into it a little bit down.

“But this is what I wanted to see. I wanted to see Arsenal 12 months on, we wanted to see Arsenal with Saliba in the team, with Havertz and Rice, their big-money signings in the team, and they are still there. Now we will see what this Arsenal is and what they are made of. Because they are made of a lot stronger stuff than last season.

‘Arsenal are not out of the title race’

“You have to trust them (to recover from this). They have to call upon last season’s experiences – they weren’t in the Champions League last season, but they were in this position where they would get beaten in games that they thought they would win.

“They dropped points that people didn’t think they would, and now it is about how you get back on the bike because they are not out of the title race. It’s going to be tough because of Manchester City and what they are but it is how they recover.

“You can finish second to this Manchester City team but it is about how you finish second. Last season we know how they finished second. This season, if they finish second or even third if Liverpool somehow get up there as well, then they have got to make sure they do it in a better way. Now it’s about how they get back on the bike and how they recover in the games and the weeks to come. They’ve got to prove that to themselves.

“I’m intrigued, now I want to see how they react. They were always going to lose a game, they may even go out of the Champions League against Bayern in midweek. They may, but then how are you the following weekend, how are you in the north London derby? Big weeks ahead for Arsenal, lots to look at and lots to be interested in. It’s all eyes on them in the next week or two.”

Neville: ‘Monumental’ Klopp has overachieved this season

Defeat at home to Crystal Palace caps a dismal week for Liverpool after they were beaten 3-0 by Atalanta in their Europa League quarter-final first leg at Anfield three days earlier.

But despite some disappointing recent results, which also included a nail-biting FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, Neville thinks Klopp and his Liverpool side have done well this season.

“If you look at Liverpool, no one expected Liverpool to be anywhere near,” Neville said.

“If you said that Liverpool would be two points off Manchester City with five or six games left to go, I’d be like ‘no chance’.

“This is a monumental achievement I think for Jurgen Klopp, for them to be where they are. I said it before the international break and a few Liverpool fans had a go at me, but I felt like they were hanging on. I just felt like they were hanging on for dear life with emotion, with it being Klopp’s last season.

“And then when they went out of the FA Cup to Manchester United, there was this narrative that now the FA Cup has gone, now we can concentrate on Europe and the league, and after the Europa League result, now we can concentrate on the league.

“It’s not happening like that, but I still think Jurgen Klopp is getting the very best out of this Liverpool team and this Liverpool squad – and what we are now seeing is probably what they are, and they have overachieved to this point.

“I think Arsenal have looked really smooth in the last couple of months and City have started to look really smooth as they always do. Whereas with Liverpool, you felt they were always the scruffy one of the three, yet they were hanging in there, calling upon the emotion of the Anfield crowd and Jurgen Klopp’s last season. Calling upon other things, other factors.

‘Reality-check’ for Liverpool

“The last few weeks have become a little tough for them but this is more than par for Liverpool where they are. I think this is par for Arsenal, this is where we thought they would be after the large investment but I don’t think anybody expected them to be so close to City at this stage of the season.

“It was a bad day for them and maybe a bit of a reality check. The FA Cup has gone, maybe Europe has gone and now maybe the Premier League title has gone – and Jurgen Klopp’s last season is going to potentially end up with the Carabao Cup.

“But they are only two points behind City and they are likely only to be concentrating on the Premier League. And they can be dangerous because they have got that something in them, Klopp has got something in him that can garner a response.

“They have been the ones that have beaten City in the last five or six years. They are still in it, but there is just a feeling that they are careering along the road a little bit.”

Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW

Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket and so much more.