Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has conceded that his side lost to the better team as Monaco ended the Gunners hopes of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.
Goals from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey saw Arsenal needing just one goal to progress at the Stade Louis II on Tuesday night but Monaco held themselves to deny the English side and sent them crashing out at the last-16 stage for the fifth time in five years.
And, Mertesacker, who played the full 90 minutes, claims that the the Ligue 1 side deserved to progress.
“The best team went through. Monaco deserved it because they played much better in the first leg. We played well today but it was a massive deficit, and it wasn’t enough tonight,” he told reporters.
“Monaco deserve it and that’s absolutely fine. They caused a lot of problems away from home. We have to admit that we regret the first game.
“But if we continue to play like that we’ll do well in the FA Cup and the league. But play as badly as we did in the first game and you’re out of the Champions League. Monaco deserved it.”