Mikel Arteta, 43, praised his men after they beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday, who he considers the “best team” in Europe. After the 3-1 victory, the London club is the only one remaining in the Champions League with a 100% record at the top of the table. Against the six-time European champions, the Gunners dominated the second half and deservedly earned another three-point win.
Arsenal took an early lead through Jurriën Timber, whose strike was soon answered by 17-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl. However, Noni Madueke restored Arsenal’s lead with his first goal for the club and his team-mate Gabriel Martinelli then capitalized on a huge mistake by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The Gunners have now won five from five Champions League games and are on course for a direct place in the last eight. Arsenal have a three-point lead over a group of chasers including Bundesliga leaders Bayern, who arrived in London with four wins.
“I have to praise our players because I think they played an incredible game against, in my opinion, the best team in Europe,” said a delighted manager Mikel Arteta. “Individually we were great and we handled all the challenges that this team brings.”
“We know the margins are very small. We started the week really well against Spurs when we won at home (4-1). Another big win today, but that’s about it. Now go home, have a good dinner and we’ll start preparing for Chelsea tomorrow morning.” Arteta let himself be heard.
THIS IS WHAT WE DO. pic.twitter.com/luqeifDVhT
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 27, 2025
Arteta said it would be useful to quickly secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but warned that Arsenal face tough challenges. “The energy we’ve created in the stadium, the quality we’re playing with, it’s unbelievable and we have to keep it up because it’s still very early.” he said.
Arteta praises the breadth of the squad
It looks increasingly like Arsenal could be on the brink of something special after falling behind in the past few seasons and finishing as runners-up in the Premier League three times in a row. However, Arteta said he would get straight back to work on Thursday and start preparing for Sunday’s match against in-form Chelsea, who are second in the English top flight.
The Gunners won despite being without a number of experienced players, including Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres. “I look at the players who are coming on and I see that they can change the game, which is what is required of them,” boasts Arteta. “We’ve definitely improved at this level, not only in terms of quality but also the attitude of the players, and that makes a huge difference for us.”
Table
1
Arsenal FC (ENG)
5
5
0
0
14 : 1
15
2
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
5
4
0
1
19 : 8
12
3
Bayern Munich (GER)
5
4
0
1
15 : 6
12
4
Inter Milan (ITA)
5
4
0
1
12 : 3
12
5
Real Madrid (ESP)
5
4
0
1
12 : 5
12
6
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
5
3
1
1
17 : 11
10
7
Chelsea FC (ENG)
5
3
1
1
12 : 6
10
8
Sporting CP (POR)
5
3
1
1
11 : 5
10
9
Manchester City (ENG)
5
3
1
1
10 : 5
10
10
Atalanta Bergamo (ITA)
5
3
1
1
6 : 5
10
11
Newcastle United (ENG)
5
3
0
2
11 : 4
9
12
Atlético Madrid (ESP)
5
3
0
2
12 : 10
9
13
Liverpool FC (ENG)
5
3
0
2
10 : 8
9
14
Galatasaray SK (TUR)
5
3
0
2
8 : 7
9
15
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
5
2
2
1
13 : 8
8
16
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
5
2
2
1
10 : 7
8
17
Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
5
2
2
1
8 : 10
8
18
FC Barcelona (ESP)
5
2
1
2
12 : 10
7
19
Karabakh Agdam (AZE)
5
2
1
2
8 : 9
7
20
SSC Napoli (ITA)
5
2
1
2
6 : 9
7
21
Olympique Marseille (FRA)
5
2
0
3
8 : 6
6
22
Juventus FC (ITA)
5
1
3
1
10 : 10
6
23
AS Monaco (FRA)
5
1
3
1
6 : 8
6
24
Paphos FC (CYP)
5
1
3
1
4 : 7
6
25
RU Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
5
2
0
3
5 : 12
6
26
Club Bruggy (BEL)
5
1
1
3
8 : 13
4
27
Athletic Bilbao (ESP)
5
1
1
3
4 : 9
4
28
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
5
1
1
3
7 : 14
4
FC Copenhagen (DEN)
5
1
1
3
7 : 14
4
30
SL Benfica (POR)
5
1
0
4
4 : 8
3
31
Slavia Prague (CZE)
5
0
3
2
2 : 8
3
32
FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
5
0
2
3
7 : 11
2
33
Olympiakos Piraeus (GRE)
5
0
2
3
5 : 13
2
34
Villarreal CF (ESP)
5
0
1
4
2 : 10
1
35
Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
5
0
1
4
4 : 14
1
36
AFC Ajax (NED)
5
0
0
5
1 : 16
0
