Arsenal’s win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League was a triumph over “the best team in Europe”, according to manager Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners followed up their north London derby thrashing of Tottenham with another statement victory on Wednesday night as they beat their German counterparts 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium thanks to goals from Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.
Victory over a Bayern team previously perfect in Europe this term saw Arsenal take a three-point lead at the top of the table in the 36-team league phase of the Champions League.
Bayern lead the Bundesliga by six points - the same margin as Arsenal’s current advantage at the Premier League summit - but were well beaten on the night, despite Arteta claiming he believes that Vincent Kompany’s men are the strongest side on the continent.
“I have to congratulate my players, because they had an incredible game against, in my opinion, the best team in Europe,” Arteta said.
“Today is another massive victory. But that’s it. Tomorrow we’ll focus on Stamford Bridge.”
Arteta would not be drawn on the question of whether Arsenal can win the Champions League this season.
“We have certainly been very consistent in the competition so far, but it’s just the beginning,” he said. “It’s incredible. We have to maintain that.
“This will bring more confidence and trust to the players. We made changes. The players performed in an incredible way. I am so pleased. I thought we were excellent.
“The energy we created in the stadium was incredible and we have to maintain that.”
Kompany cut a downtrodden figure as he spoke to the media in his post-match press conference but acknowledged that Arsenal had outperformed his team on the night.
“I have to congratulate Arsenal,” the former Manchester City captain said. “It was a deserved win for them. But in the first half it felt as though we could edge it.”
