Goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice helped Arsenal comfortably beat Bayer Leverkusen as the Gunners secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
2025/2026 UEFA Champions League
2 (3)-0 (1)
Match Report:
Arsenal will play Sporting in the last eight after the Portuguese side staged a dramatic comeback from 3-0 down before kick-off to put five past Bodo/Glimt.
The Gunners came into this tie level on aggregate with the Germans, after Kai Havertz's late penalty last week secured a 1-1 draw, and they did not let Leverkusen settle in the first half.
Arsenal twice went close through Gabriel from trademark corners with Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich making excellent saves to keep the game scoreless.
But there was nothing Blaswich could do about the opener, when Eze controlled the ball on the edge of the area and swivelled before powering the ball high into the net for his first goal in the Champions League.
Arsenal picked up from where they left off in the second half and Rice wrapped up the tie when he ran onto a Leverkusen clearance and calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner.
With the game won, Mikel Arteta was able to give some of his key players a rest before the Gunners take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday.
Match Events:
0' First Half begins
36' GOAL! Eberechi Eze(Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner, assisted by Trossard
45+2' First Half ends, Arsenal 1, Leverkusen 0
46' Yellow Card! Palacios is shown the yellow card for a serious foul on Eze
60' Substitutions: Malik Tilman on, Martin Terrier off; Montrell Culbreath on, Ernest Poku off
63' GOAL! Declan Rice(Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner
68' Substitutions: Norgaard on, Zubimendi off; Mosquera on , White off; Martinelli on, Trossard off; Kai Havertz on, Eze off due to an injury
70' Substitutions: Schick on, Palacios off
83' Substitution: Ezequiel Fernandez on, Andrich off
90' Substitution: Skelly on, Gyokeres off
90+5' Second half ends, Arsenal 2, Leverkusen 0
Line-ups
Arsenal XI: Trossard, David Raya, Rice, Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel, Ben White, Eberechi Eze, Martín Zubimendi, Saliba, Saka, Hincapie
Subs: Christian Nørgaard, Kepa, Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli, Madueke, Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly, Khari Ranson, Max Dowman
Leverkusen XI: Janis Blaswich, Grimaldo, Andrich, A.García, Exequiel Palacios, Terrier, Tapsoba, Quansah, Ernest Poku, Ibrahim Maza, Christian Kofane
Subs: Lomb, Hofmann, Schick, Jonas Omlin, Malik Tillman, Equi Fernández, Tim Oermann, Montrell Culbreath, Axel Tape