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Even a 2-0 away win wasn't enough as Arsenal failed to make the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the fifth-straight season. The Gunners needed to win by a three-goal margin to overcome the 1-3 loss they suffered in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium.Olivier Giroud opened the scoring before half time and it looked as though the Gunners had the momentum to go on and get the result they wanted after second half substitute Aaron Ramsey scored to make it two. But try as they might, the visitors couldn't score a third, which meant that Monaco advanced and for the first time since the 2009/10 season, Ligue 1 has two clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.Here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 Deja vu all over again
They say there is nothing sweeter than glory in defeat, for it shows the true mark of one. As good as their performance was in Monaco, you can be sure that the Gunners would have taken a scrappy 1-0 win over two legs and progression into the next round. Instead, just like it happened in AC Milan and Bayern Munich in the past few seasons, Arsenal have gone out and given a fantastic performance when it least mattered.
In football, at least in the latter stages of the Champions League, there is no glory in defeat, only victory. Unfortunately for the Gunners, they have been unable to taste victory in the Round of 16 for the fifth-successive season to the disappointment of their supporters.
#2 Stade Louis II finally comes to life
Monaco is known for many things – Formula One, casinos and sometimes, even a football team that does well. But one thing it isn't known for is the atmosphere at Stade Louis II. Although it is a small ground, seldom is it filled to capacity and a lively atmosphere is even rarer.
But on Tuesday, all of that changed. The stadium was jam-packed, the atmosphere was electric and it was almost as though the locals started to care. There were cheers when the home side attacked, boos when decisions went against them and in the end, it was the supporters who helped their side get through the final few minutes unscathed.
#3 Monaco hold their nerve
Seldom do you see a team defend so well, that they make just a single mistake over two legs. Although Layvin Kurzawa's misplaced clearance was neatly tucked away by Ramsey, the amount of concentration the home side displayed over the two legs merited safe passage into the next round. There are few better defensively-drilled teams than Monaco and that was on show against the Gunners.
Every time the visitors put the ball in the box, it was a Monaco head that met the ball; Whenever someone was drawn out of position, there was always cover and the Gunners weren't even allowed time to take a long range effort. Sometimes you just have to put your hand up and applaud the defensive efforts of a team and this was one such occasion, where determination and discipline came out on top.
#4 Arsenal left themselves too much to do
Before the game on Tuesday, history books said that only one side had ever come back from a two-goal deficit in the home leg to win the tie. History wasn't on their side as they had previously come close against Bayern and Milan in recent seasons, only to fall at the last hurdle. Perhaps for the first time in Europe this season, the Gunners showed they had the patience to wait and not go all-out attack from the first minute.
They played to their strengths and did their best to open a defence that hadn't conceded a single goal at home in Europe this season. Although they played out a perfect away performance and scored two goals, it still wasn't enough. Their naivety in the first leg, when they went chasing the game when they should have sat back, cost them in the end, as it left them with too much to do away from home.
#5 Berbatov has still got it
There are some players who look like they have just come on the pitch after running a marathon and there are others, who look as though they had to cut their vacation short to play football. Even at 34, Dimitar Berbatov still oozes class and composure. With his team defending for their lives, desperately needing an outlet, the Bulgarian striker provided them with an option out of defence.
He held the ball up and brought his team mates into play. Had his fellow attackers shown the composure he did, the Ligue 1 club wouldn't have had to defend for the entire match. Although he didn't score, Monaco owe a great debt to Berbatov, who gave a master class on what to do when you are an isolated lone striker.
