Manuel Neuer claims Jurrien Timber pushed him before Arsenal goal in Champions League clash
The Gunners triumphed 3-1 with the experienced goalkeeper making two errors which led to goals
Bayern Munich goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer claimed that Jurrien Timber pushed him in the build-up to Arsenal’s first goal during their 3-1 Champions League defeat to the Gunners on Wednesday evening.
Timber met a corner kick from Bukayo Saka and whipped a headed effort past the German goalkeeper to send Arsenal into the lead in the first half and replays did show a slight nudge on Neuer as the defender made his way through the six-yard area.
"I'm not a goalkeeper who throws himself to the ground, you've seen others do that,” Neuer told German media outlet Bild following the defeat.
“Maybe that would have helped in this situation. But basically, you have to keep going until the referee blows his whistle. And then, possibly, there's a free kick.”
Neuer decided not to come off his line to try and claim the corner kick and explaining his positioning for Timber’s goal he added: "I was obviously off balance, that's clear. Then I was in a different position than I would have liked. And then I couldn't get forward as much.
“You know how they do it with set pieces. The referees know that too. I don't know about the Premier League, but they've done it that way internationally as well."
The defeat was Bayern Munich’s first loss of the season where they had gone 18 matches unbeaten across all competitions before coming unstuck against Arsenal.
After Timber’s opener Lennart Karl scored an equaliser for the Bundesliga leaders before Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli secured the three points in the second half for the hosts.
"Of course, this doesn't feel good. No question about it, we had higher expectations,” Neuer admitted.
“We would have liked to win here, but we have to accept it. Arsenal were better in the key moments. We didn't create enough clear-cut chances.
“In the second half, we didn't create enough opportunities. Arsenal were simply more dominant. So, [the] result is acceptable."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments