Pep Guardiola: 'We did not lose because of Manuel Neuer'

Live by Manuel Neuer, die by Manuel Neuer.

The Bayern Munich goalkeeper made a big save, and possibly an even bigger blunder, in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Arsenal. But manager Pep Guardiola isn't prepared to blame the defeat on Neuer, whose heroics more often than not outweigh his hiccups.

"In the first half (Neuer) made some great saves. Never have I criticised a player for taking a decision, correct or incorrect," Guardiola told reporters. "This is football. We didn't lose because of Neuer."

Neuer denied a clear header from Theo Walcott in the first half but undid his six-save performance in the second as he misjudged a free-kick from Santi Cazorla in the 77th minute.

That is the story of the 29-year-old World Cup winner: He's ambitious, a modern-day sweeper, but sometimes the risks he takes end up costing him and his team.

Nevertheless, Guardiola was proud of his team's outing. Bayern controlled 68 percent of the ball and completed 646 passes to Arsenal's 190.

"It was a good game, we didn't want to let them have the ball," he said. "We tried to dominate, we had our chances, enough to win this match - at least not to lose it. Congratulations to Arsenal for the win, we meet again in two weeks in Munich."