Arsenal defeated German champions Bayern Munich 3-1 on a memorable night in Europe, and one of the Gunners’ star players definitely stole the show with his performance.
Mikel Arteta’s side were posed one of their toughest tests on paper tonight against Bayern, who are still unbeaten in the Bundesliga and one of the favorites to win the Champions League, but they were no match for the north London Premier League favorites.
Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich – Man of the match | match rating |
|---|---|
julian timber | 7.7 |
Bukayo Saka | 7.4 |
Riccardo Calafioli | 7.4 |
Renato Karl | 7.4 |
Declan Rice | 7.3 |
via scorer | |
Bayern have also won all but one of their games in all competitions this season heading into their trip to the Emirates, while Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the 2025/2026 season to Vincent Kompany’s team.
Second-half goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli gave Arsenal victory in the heavyweight showdown. Madueke, back after two months out with a knee injury, scored his first goal for the Gunners before fellow substitute Martinelli pounced on a mistake by Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer to extend Arsenal’s perfect record in the competition to five wins in five games.
Julian Timber had previously led Arsenal, but with former Tottenham striker Harry Kane unable to add to his six goals at the Emirates, it fell to Bayern’s 17-year-old star Lennart Karl to concede his first goal of the competition.
The spectacular game was arguably the least important of the week’s three games, sandwiched between Premier League leaders Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Spurs and Sunday’s trip to second-placed Chelsea.
Nevertheless, it is still something to enjoy and this result will probably give Arsenal the status of Europe’s best team at the moment.
Timber, Madueke and Martinelli were the heroes on paper, but it was a perfect midfield performance from club record signing Declan Rice, who put in one of his best performances ever in the red and white, taking absolute control of the game in the middle of the park.
Ally McCoist praises Declan Rice as ‘out of this world’ after Arsenal win
Commentator Ally McCoist, who covered the match for TNT Sports, waxed lyrical about the England international repeatedly, naming him a “first class” man of the match against Bayern.
Rice was unlucky to get on the scoresheet in the 60th minute when the former West Ham captain stormed down the left flank, but veteran keeper Manuel Neuer denied him any reward for his insolence.
McCoist described Rice’s run as “amazing” and “out of this world”, which summed up the possessed performance by one of Arsenal’s leaders.
A major statement from Arsenal was released tonight. Not only did Arsenal show that they can win against Europe’s toughest opponents, they also sent a very clear message that they have no intention of giving up.
Next up is a fierce London derby against Chelsea this weekend. Arteta’s side will lead the table with a nine-point lead in this match, potentially cementing their status as overwhelming title contenders.
Rice will be a big part of that, but tonight shows how important he is to Arteta’s quest for a Premier League trophy after a 22-year wait.
