Arteta walked onto the pitch to shake his players’ hands and speak to the referee. In a post-match interview, Arteta mentioned that the referee had said they reviewed a potential penalty incident but decided it wasn’t a penalty, leading to a controversial end to the game in north London. The game was intense, with Saka putting Arsenal 1-0 up with a brilliant goal before Bayern came back to lead at the break. Arteta felt that his team could have been 2-0 up before Bayern’s fightback, and that had they capitalized on that opportunity, the match could have been very different.

Arteta acknowledged that mistakes led to conceding goals, emphasizing the unforgiving nature of the Champions League. He also highlighted that they didn’t meet their usual standards in terms of ball management, which allowed the opponent to exploit spaces and create dangerous situations. Despite the setbacks, Arteta was pleased with the composure and effort shown by his team. He noted that, even at 2-1 down, the team tried to find its rhythm and remained composed, with substitutions making a significant impact in their efforts to score the second goal.