Kai Havertz rescued Arsenal with a coolly taken spot-kick in the 89th minute, securing a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League last-16 first leg at the BayArena.
The German striker, who departed Leverkusen for Chelsea in a £71m transfer back in 2020, found himself facing his boyhood club after coming off the bench.
Substitute Noni Madueke earned the crucial penalty when Malik Tillman brought him down during a driving run into the area.
Leverkusen’s supporters protested vociferously, but the decision stood following an extended VAR review.
Kai Havertz scored a last-gasp penalty to make sure Arsenal claimed a draw
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Havertz then slotted past goalkeeper Janis Blaswich with composure, celebrating in subdued fashion against the club where he spent a decade.
The Gunners had entered the contest boasting a flawless record in this season’s competition, having triumphed in all eight league phase matches.
However, their defensive resilience crumbled mere seconds after the restart.
Robert Andrich rose unmarked at the far post to power a header beyond David Raya from Alex Grimaldo’s expertly delivered inswinging corner.
The goal arrived just 45 seconds into the second period, marking the first time Arsenal had conceded in the Champions League this campaign.
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Moments earlier, Raya had produced a fine save to deny Martin Terrier following a cleverly rehearsed kick-off routine from the hosts.
Mikel Arteta had rotated heavily for the fixture, making ten alterations to his starting lineup following the comfortable FA Cup fifth-round victory over Mansfield at the weekend.
Arsenal began brightly, with Gabriel Martinelli striking the crossbar after being teed up by Viktor Gyokeres during a swift counter-attack.
The Brazilian forward has netted six times in Europe this term.
Yet the visitors struggled to create meaningful opportunities throughout the evening.
Jurrien Timber headed over from one of their few clear openings after falling behind.
Remarkably, Havertz’s penalty represented only Arsenal’s second effort on target, with the team managing a mere six shots in total.
Leverkusen star Robert Andrich scored immediately after half-time
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Madueke expressed confidence ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
“We came here to try to win, but when you can’t it’s good to draw,” the England winger told TNT Sports.
“We’re fully confident heading back to the Emirates, we’re confident we can get the job done back in London.”
Regarding the decisive penalty, Madueke added: “I felt contact, so I went down, penalty. I know Kai very well, he’s been scoring high-pressure goals all his career. I had 100 per cent confidence in him.”
The winger acknowledged room for improvement, stating: “Our basics could be better. On the ball we weren’t as good at threatening their box, but we will show that in London, for sure.”
