Kimmich goal ends Gunners' Champions League dream in Munich

Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal (Bayern Munich win 3-2 on aggregate)

BITTERLY disappointing, but no shame in this Champions League exit for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. They were the better team for large periods of both ties, particularly the first half of this second leg in Munich, but were ultimately undone by a second-half Joshua Kimmich header.

Billed as the match from which Arteta and his young side would emerge as history makers, set to challenge the best at home and abroad for years to come, or bottle jobs without the nerve to convert their undoubted hot talent into cold steel victories on the biggest stages, it turned out to be neither.

Don’t believe the hype is the lesson there. What we did learn was that this performance from Arteta and his players was another sign that they are very much on their way to belonging at this level again. They are not quite elite winners, though.

It has taken many years to get over the hangover of Arsene Wenger’s breakthrough years (next month is the 20th anniversary of his unbeatable Invincibles) , but they are finally back in the conversation for both the Premier League title and the biggest knock out competition in club football.

Yes, they are largely young and inexperienced, like their manager, but whether or not they claim a trophy this season, they are better than they were this time last year. This narrative could change, of course, if they return to Premier League competition with another defeat, away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday night, but that title race autopsy is for another day.

Back in Europe, Bayern raised their game and played very well in the first leg last week and this match too. Outgoing coach Thomas Tuchel’s tactics were spot on and Arsenal’s seemed