It was not the Arsenal performance their fans had been hoping for, but Kai Havertz ensured they left Germany with something to show for it. The German striker, returning to the club where his career began, stepped off the bench to convert a stoppage time penalty and earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Bayer Leverkusen.
The first half was largely uneventful, with Arsenal missing the creative influence of injured captain Martin Odegaard. The best moment came when Gyokeres played in Gabriel Martinelli, who struck the crossbar with a crisp left footed effort. It was a flash of quality in an otherwise cautious 45 minutes from both sides.
Leverkusen came out for the second half with far greater intent. Within 45 seconds of the restart they had already won a corner, and from Grimaldo’s delivery, captain Robert Andrich squeezed a powerful header past David Raya at the back post. It was the first time Arsenal had trailed at any point in the Champions League all season.
Arsenal struggled to respond. They recorded just one shot in the following 36 minutes as Leverkusen defended resolutely and threatened on the break through teenage forward Christian Kofane. Arteta turned to his bench, withdrawing Saka for Madueke, and the change eventually proved decisive. Madueke drove into the penalty area, drew a panicked challenge from Malik Tillman, and the referee pointed to the spot. Havertz, who had been welcomed warmly by the home fans when he came on in the 74th minute, kept his nerve to squeeze the penalty past Blaswich and level the tie.
It was far from a vintage Arsenal display, and Arteta will demand significantly more in the second leg at the Emirates. But they remain unbeaten in the competition and, with the home advantage to come, are still favourites to reach the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season.
