Arsene Wenger has slammed the match officials after Arsenal crashed out of the Champions League following a 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Gunners took the lead in the second leg at the Emirates thanks to a Theo Walcott strike and were then denied a penalty after Walcott tangled with Xabi Alonso
There was more misery after the break as Laurent Koscielny conceded a penalty and was sent off for a challenge on Robert Lewandowski from which the striker equalised to make it 1-1 on the night.
Koscielny was initially booked before the referee opted to show a red card after discussions with his touchline assistant, leaving Wenger fuming at the decision.
“The decision leaves me very angry, frustrated. I think it’s absolutely unexplainable and scandalous,” he told reporters after the game.
“We produced a performance of pride, but the story ends badly, in the second half, the referee killed the game.”
Arsenal subsequently collapsed following Koscielny’s dismissal with goals from Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa and two from Arturo Vidal condemning them to another 5-1 defeat to the German champions, although the boss refused to blame his players for the loss.
“We can compete with Bayern Munich and we showed that tonight in the first half. The second half was a difficult situation for us,” he added.
“The end result will not highlight the quality of our performance, which is disappointing. The referee [not players] has let us down.”
After another dire result, Wenger must now try to lift his side for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with non-league Lincoln.
Hector Bellerin sends message to Arsene Wenger
Speaking to Arsenal’s website about Wenger and whether the players are behind the under-pressure 67-year-old coach, Bellerin was emphatic in his response:
“The whole team is behind the manager. He’s the one who has made the team work. In football, sometimes you’re high and sometimes you experience lows.
“Now is a low point for us but we only have to look at ourselves to do something. With the help of everyone, we can make it through. We need to just forget tonight, focus on the next game and a competition that the club usually does well in. We just need to go for it and try to finish the season well.”
Bellerin moved to Arsenal from La Liga giants Barcleona in the 2011 summer transfer window.
Arsenal are in fifth place in the Premier League table.