Arsenal reach Champions League quarter-finals for 3rd successive season: Stats
What's the story
Arsenal FC have advanced to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after a convincing 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. The match was held at the Emirates Stadium in London. Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice were the stars of the night, scoring a goal each to secure Arsenal's place in the last eight. This win marks their third consecutive quarter-final appearance in this prestigious tournament.
Pathway
Arsenal's road to the quarter-finals
Arsenal's journey to the quarter-finals was not an easy one. They started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg, thanks to a late penalty from Kai Havertz. However, they bounced back in the second leg with a dominant performance that saw them score two goals without conceding any. This clinical display was their ninth win in 10 games this season and further cemented Mikel Arteta's reputation as a top manager.
Star performers
Eze and Rice shine for the Gunners
Eze, who joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace last summer for £67.5 million, scored his first Champions League goal in this match. He celebrated the strike with the same calmness he showed while scoring five goals against Tottenham in their two matches this season. Rice sealed the victory with a second goal early in the second half, taking his tally to one goal in this season's Champions League campaign.
Upcoming match
Arsenal set to face Sporting Lisbon in next round
Arsenal's next challenge in the Champions League will be against Sporting Lisbon, who made an incredible comeback from 3-0 down to beat Bodo/Glimt. Despite this, Arteta is confident about his team's chances of progressing further in the tournament. The Gunners boss has transformed the club since he took over in 2019 and this victory over Leverkusen was their 14th in 17 home games in the Champions League under him.
Do you know?
Arsenal clock these unique records
Arsenal registered 12 shots on target against Leverkusen. As per Opta, it's their highest tally in a single match across all competitions this season. It is also only the second time the Gunners have scored twice from outside the box in a UCL knockout tie, after doing so against Real Madrid in 2024-25.
Information
Here are the match stats
Arsenal clocked 21 attempts with 12 shots on target. Arteta's men also had 39 touches in the opposition box. On the other hand, Leverkusen managed two shots on target from 9 attempts. Leverkusen had 22 touches in the opposition box.
Duo
Key numbers for Eze and Rice
Playing his 41st match for the Gunners in all competitions this season, Eze has raced to 9 goals. He also scored his maiden Champions League goal. Rice clocked his 5th goal of the season from 43 matches. Overall, he owns 21 goals for Arsenal across 146 appearances.
Do you know?
Arsenal have dominated UCL home games under Arteta
In 17 home Champions League games under Arteta, Arsenal have claimed 14 wins (D2 L1). In this phase, they have scored 43 goals and conceded just 8. A total of 12 clean sheets have been registered in this run of 17 matches.