Kai Havertz came off the bench to rescue Arsenal F.C. with a dramatic late equaliser against Bayer Leverkusen as their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 first leg ended 1-1.
Arsenal, who had finished the league phase with a perfect record of eight wins, looked set for defeat after Robert Andrich headed Leverkusen in front from a corner early in the second half.
However, with just a minute left in normal time, Havertz kept his composure to convert a penalty after fellow substitute Noni Madueke was fouled inside the box.
The late strike secured a draw for the visitors and gives Arsenal the edge ahead of the return leg in London.
Andrich’s goal came despite the midfielder surviving an early scare. He was booked in the opening seconds for dragging down Viktor Gyökeres after the forward spun past him near the edge of the box.
Shortly afterwards, he body-checked Gyökeres close to the touchline but avoided a second yellow card from referee Halil Umut Meler.
Arsenal appeared to miss the creativity of injured captain Martin Ødegaard, particularly in the final third, though they nearly broke the deadlock in the 20th minute.
Eberechi Eze cleverly allowed the ball to run across his body before Gyökeres set up Gabriel Martinelli, whose powerful left-footed effort struck the crossbar.
The Gunners threatened again moments later, but Piero Hincapié fired straight at Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich.
Leverkusen’s main attacking outlet was Cameroon forward Christian Kofane, who tested Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya with an ambitious long-range attempt.
The young attacker later capitalised on a rare mistake from Gabriel Magalhães and threatened to break through on goal, only for Declan Rice to intervene and stop the danger.
Arsenal defender Gabriel also put his body on the line before the interval, bravely blocking a fierce strike from former Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah to ensure the first half ended goalless.
Leverkusen struck shortly after the restart. Raya first produced a stunning save to tip over a header from Martin Terrier. From the resulting corner, Andrich slipped away from Eze at the far post to nod the hosts into the lead.
The goal was somewhat ironic for an Arsenal side that has been particularly dangerous from set-pieces this season. It was also the first time they had trailed in the competition.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta responded by introducing Madueke in place of Bukayo Saka, who struggled to make an impact, before later sending on Havertz for Gyökeres.
The changes paid off late on. Madueke beat Malik Tillman inside the penalty area and was brought down, giving Arsenal a lifeline.
Havertz stepped up and calmly slotted home the penalty against his former club, denying Leverkusen victory and leaving Arsenal well placed ahead of next week’s decisive second leg at home.
