Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes his side had Barcelona wobbling at 1-1 at the Camp Nou this evening and had they netted a second goal then a sensational result could have been achieved.
The Gunners headed into the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie down 2-0 on aggregate from the first leg and facing a mountain to climb, which only became steeper after 18 minutes when Laurent Koscielny saw a sloppy pass intercepted by Luis Suarez, who played in Neymar and the Brazilian made no mistake.
Arsenal had a penalty shout turned down before the break, but did level the game in the 51st minute when Mohamed Elneny finished well.
Parity did not last though and Suarez, connecting with a Dani Alves cross, fired in in the 65th minute to make it 2-1 to the home side.
Lionel Messi struck a minute from time to seal the deal for Barcelona, recording a 3-1 win on the night and a 5-1 victory on aggregate, with the Spanish side booking a quarter-final spot.
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For Wenger, whose side have exited at the last 16 stage for the fifth consecutive season, Arsenal did have Barcelona worried when they equalised and had they grabbed a second then the picture could have been very different at the Camp Nou.
Speaking on BT Sport, Wenger said: "I think the performance was first of all good, a great game between two good teams.
"That we went out is a regret, of course, but I must say they have exceptional quality up front. You feel that any little mistake you make at the back they can take advantage of it.
"It was a turning point at 1-1. I could feel they were wobbling a little bit and were insecure.
"Had we scored the second goal I think we could have created a sensation tonight, but we didn't and after, any one of the three up front can score an exceptional goal", the French boss added.
Arsenal will now switch their attention back to the Premier League, where they are eleven points behind league leaders Leicester City.
