Arsenal rescued by Havertz in Champions League but needs to enhance performance

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Bayer Leverkusen ultimately did not wish for Kai Havertz to return. The 26-year-old received a warm welcome as he entered the pitch, honoring his ten years with the club, but quickly disrupted a memorable UEFA Champions League evening by netting Arsenal’s equalizer in the 89th minute.

The penalty, given for a slight contact on Noni Madueke by Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman, ensured a 1-1 draw, positioning the Gunners as strong contenders to advance to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.

This moment appeared to be crucial for the tie and significant for Havertz, who was presented with a framed photograph showcasing his time at Leverkusen before the match. He had discussed the mental challenges following his recent injuries and reflected on the cherished memories of returning to a club he left home for at the age of 10.

The prolonged wait for his penalty kick likely felt interminable. However, Havertz maintained his composure, placing the ball past Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich and securing a point that Arsenal scarcely earned. Since returning from his knee injury, Havertz has recorded three goals and two assists in 316 minutes.

“Football is a funny game and it brings special stories and him coming back here after such a long time, being part of this club, to come here and score such an important goal, I think it’s a big moment,” stated Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

The performance leading up to this moment will do little to quell lingering concerns regarding the team’s capacity to succeed. It also somewhat contradicted Arteta’s pre-match claim that his squad had demonstrated they belong among Europe’s elite after reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals in the previous two seasons, alongside winning all eight group-stage matches this year.

Arsenal appeared largely one-dimensional in their possession, prompting Arteta to make several adjustments. He substituted Madueke for the ineffective Bukayo Saka in the 60th minute, brought on Havertz for Viktor Gyökeres 14 minutes later, and finally introduced Gabriel Jesus for Eberechi Eze in an effort to add some energy to their attack. Madueke was the most impactful substitute, and Havertz took advantage.

Prior to this, after Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli struck the crossbar during a promising start, Leverkusen had been well-deserving of a surprising upset. The club’s social media team had playfully teased Arsenal before the match, creating a post with a “no corners allowed” sign referencing the visitors’ prowess at set pieces.

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The home side must have relished outplaying Arsenal at their own game, as set-piece strategies combined to give them the lead. Leverkusen’s well-coordinated direct attack from the kickoff at the start of the second half resulted in the corner taken by Alejandro Grimaldo, which was converted at the back post by Robert Andrich. Arteta later claimed he had shown his players three clips of Leverkusen attacking in this manner from the kickoff, yet his players still failed to recognize the threat.

Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand and Arsenal set-piece coach Nico Jover exchanged words on the sideline moments later, questioning the legality of Arsenal’s physicality during corners in the buildup.

“I’m just questioning, is it actually in the rules that you can bodycheck and take players out without the ball? So [Jover] was just looking [and saying], ‘You do it too?’ Yeah, we are doing it too,” Hjulmand explained. “So it is the same for all teams, we are all doing it.”

Arsenal managed only three corners throughout the match, with just one until the 79th minute, as Leverkusen effectively limited their chances. Arteta’s body language conveyed his frustration; he turned sharply and gestured away from the pitch as Eze attempted to find Martinelli midway through the first half. Eze received some pointed remarks moments later, before Arteta struck the top of the away dugout with his right hand as Arsenal struggled in possession once again.

“We had 10 to 15 minutes that we didn’t really have enough threat and enough understanding of how we have to attack that block, but in the last 20 to 25 minutes with the changes, I think it was much better, and at the end, we found a way to score the goal and to end the game,” Arteta remarked.

Hjulmand expressed disappointment over the penalty decision, asserting that referees should refrain from awarding marginal spot kicks and instead wait for a VAR review, as close calls are seldom overturned once given.

Having avoided a damaging result, Arteta framed this performance as part of a learning experience. “The level of execution obviously has to be better and it will be better in the second leg,” he stated. “We’ll adapt a few things and yes, we’ll move on.

“[It is a reminder of] how challenging it is to win against any opponent in the competition and especially away from home. There is a significant factor there. Then you realize what we’ve accomplished to win eight games in this competition, because it’s so tough that nobody has done it before.

“Fully aware of that, we knew the importance of the game and the difficulty of the opponent, and now we need to finish it in London.”