Arsenal cruised into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a commanding 2–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, sealing a 3–1 aggregate win at the Emirates Stadium.
Long criticised for grinding out results this season, Mikel Arteta’s side delivered a confident and stylish performance, highlighted by goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice.
Eze opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a superb long-range strike, curling an unstoppable effort into the top corner after sustained Arsenal pressure. Rice doubled the lead in the second half, calmly finishing after winning possession high up the pitch to put the tie beyond Leverkusen.
Arsenal had needed a late Kai Havertz penalty to salvage a 1–1 draw in the first leg, but there was no such struggle in the return fixture as they dominated proceedings from start to finish.
The Gunners will now face Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals after the Portuguese side staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Bodo/Glimt 5–3 on aggregate.
Arteta’s men, who reached the semi-finals last season before losing to Paris Saint-Germain, are into the last eight for a third consecutive campaign and continue their push for a first-ever Champions League title.
The win also provides a timely boost ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley, as Arsenal chase their first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
Currently sitting nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, Arsenal remain firmly on course for a first league title in 22 years and are also through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Southampton.
From the outset, Arsenal asserted control, creating a string of chances. Gabriel Magalhães headed wide from a Bukayo Saka corner, while Leandro Trossard was repeatedly denied by an inspired Leverkusen goalkeeper, Janis Blaswich.
Despite Blaswich’s heroics, Arsenal’s relentless pressure eventually told when Eze broke the deadlock with a moment of brilliance.
The hosts continued to press after the break and nearly doubled their lead through Trossard before Rice struck in the 63rd minute, capping a dominant display.
Arsenal comfortably saw out the remainder of the match, underlining their credentials as genuine contenders as the competition enters its decisive stages.
AFP
