Kai Havertz scored a controversial late penalty on his return to Bayer Leverkusen to rescue a 1-1 draw for Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. The Germany forward came off the bench to equalise after Robert Andrich had headed Leverkusen into a second-half lead, leaving Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta relieved to be level heading into next week's second leg.
Leverkusen had taken the lead two minutes into the second half when Andrich headed home from a corner, a moment of irony given the club's social media team had earlier posted 'No corners allowed' in a dig at Arsenal's set-piece prowess. The goal came after Arsenal had struggled to create chances, with Bukayo Saka withdrawn for Noni Madueke as Arteta sought to change the game.
Arsenal's best first-half chance fell to Gabriel Martinelli, who hit the crossbar from close range. Leverkusen, who recorded an unbeaten Bundesliga season under Xabi Alonso, were well-organised and tested Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya through Christian Kofane. The home side's captain Andrich escaped a second yellow card for a heavy challenge on Viktor Gyökeres early on.
Havertz, who joined Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer, was introduced for Gyökeres and won the penalty after a mazy run into the box. He converted from the spot to level the tie, sparing Arsenal's blushes after a below-par performance. 'We got caught out,' Arteta said. 'Then we had to really dig in. The level of execution has to be better. It will be better in the second leg.'
