Manuel Neuer explains why he rushed at Gabriel Martinelli in huge blunder for crucial Arsenal goal in Bayern Munich defeat

Bayern suffered their first defeat of the season as Arsenal capitalised on key errors from Neuer in a dominant 3-1 Champions League win. The 39-year-old captain was directly involved in the two decisive moments of the night, first failing to claim a corner for the opener and later rushing out of his box against Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal’s third.

Neuer firstly addressed the criticism surrounding Arsenal’s opening goal, where he failed to claim Bukayo Saka’s corner before Jurrien Timber headed home. However, he offered a slightly different perspective in the mixed zone. 

“The opponent obviously throws me off balance, that's clear. Then I'm also in a different position than I would have liked and can't get forward as much,” he explained, pointing out that Arsenal had aggressively targeted him during set pieces. “You know how they do it with set pieces, and the referees know that too, and I'm not a goalkeeper who throws himself to the ground. Maybe that would have helped in this situation. But basically you have to keep going until the referee blows his whistle and there's possibly a free kick. But there was no criticism from my side. These things will eventually work in our favour, and then we'll score a goal like that."

Neuer also offered a detailed breakdown of his decision-making during Martinelli’s decisive goal, stressing that the game state forced him into a high-risk intervention, explaining why he rushed off his line.

"When you're behind, you simply have to take a bit more risk, and in that situation, the pass was initially good because it wasn't really going in deep. I could already see that Martinelli was running against [Joshua Kimmich] and was also a bit faster than Jo. I knew then that it would lead to a one-on-one situation and a great chance. I tried to clear it beforehand, and he took him down well. The touch was simply crucial, and then I couldn't reach it anymore, although I knew I was taking a big risk."

This second error also sparked even sharper criticism from ex-Bayern and Germany midfielder Michael Ballack, who said: “That wasn't necessary. Manuel made the wrong decision there. If he goes for the ball, he has to get it, he knows that himself. He decided to take the risk, and is being punished for it.”

Despite the errors, the veteran goalkeeper had kept Bayern alive earlier in the match with several high-level interventions. He finished with five saves, far more than the single stop made by Arsenal’s David Raya. However, Bayern’s structural issues meant those moments were overshadowed by their disorganised second-half performance.

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Beyond Neuer’s blunders, the Bavarians' inability to escape Arsenal’s press was a recurring theme. While the Gunners advanced up the pitch with fluid combinations, Bayern were forced into rushed clearances and disorganised transitions. Neuer identified duels, second balls, and poor structure as the key factors that cost them control.

Arsenal, meanwhile, demonstrated efficiency that Bayern lacked. After surviving chances from Kimmich, Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl, the hosts seized the momentum. A brilliant delivery from Riccardo Calafiori set up Noni Madueke for 2-1, before Martinelli punished Bayern’s late surge forward.

The defeat ended Bayern’s unbeaten run in all competitions and extended Arsenal’s own streak to 16 matches.

Bayern now face the task of responding quickly, with pressure building on boss Vincent Kompany to address the team’s vulnerabilities in defensive transitions and set-piece organisation. Neuer’s errors will naturally dominate the talks, but Bayern’s wider positional problems have become harder to ignore.

The German champions must regroup ahead of their next Champions League fixtures and Bundesliga challenges, while Kompany seeks stability in a squad that has shown in the moments of brilliance but worrying moments of collapse. Neuer, meanwhile, will be expected to bounce back immediately, and Bayern will need him at his best if they are to avoid further setbacks in Europe.