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TV pundit Ally McCoist has criticized Takehiro Tomiyasu, Declan Rice, and Gabriel Martinelli for coming up short in the buildup to Bayern Munich's winner over Arsenal on Wednesday.
Joshua Kimmich scored the only goal of the game at the Allianz Arena in the 63rd minute as the Bavarians won the quarterfinal tie 3-2 on aggregate, knocking the Gunners out.
McCoist, a Rangers legend, felt Arsenal could've done better in the moments leading up to the winner, and singled out three players who failed to mark Kimmich. Speaking on TNT Sports, he said:
"It looks like he is the only one moving in the box. It’s a tremendous header, it really is. But you have got to say, we have seen it coming. They have been the better team in the second half. Again, [Leroy] Sane does well down the left-hand side, it’s a deep cross and look at him attack it. They are standing still."
“There are three Arsenal defenders, [Takehiro] Tomiyasu is one of them and one of them has got to watch him but they allow him to come. He doesn’t half finish it well. He’s really aggressive and attacks the area. It’s [Gabriel] Martinelli, he doesn’t match the runner. That said, what a header, what a cross.”
Kimmich got on the end of a brilliant delivery from Raphael Guerreiro, ghosting into the box and evading the attention of Arsenal's defensive midfielder Declan Rice.
Arsenal, who drew 2-2 in the first leg, had managed to keep Bayern at bay for over an hour, but one moment of defensive lapse was enough for the hosts to do the damage.
Mikel Arteta's side saw their European campaign come to an end, whereas Bayern reached the semi-finals and will compete with Real Madrid for a place in the Wembley final.
Arsenal's season unraveled within days
Until last week, Arsenal were leading the Premier League table and had fought hard to hold Bayern Munich to a draw at home in the Champions League. Fast forward by seven days, and the Gunners are two points behind Manchester City in the league while their European campaign is over.
A shock 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa in the league proved detrimental, whereas one moment of defensive lapse at the Allianz Arena was enough for Bayern to send them packing.
In a campaign that promised so much, the Gunners are now heading towards a disappointing end, much like last season.
