Trending 
Arsenal were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday, with Kai Havertz scoring a late penalty in the 89th minute.
The Gunners, who won all eight of their league games, struggled to find fluency in a tense encounter at the BayArena.
Leverkusen took the lead just after the break when Robert Andrich scored from a corner, heading in a cross from Alex Grimaldo that Arsenal failed to clear.
Despite a sluggish start in the second half, Arsenal fought back and were gifted a lifeline when Noni Madueke was fouled in the box by Malik Tillman. Havertz, who was introduced as a substitute, stepped up to take the penalty and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, securing a valuable away goal for Arsenal.
“I know how hard it is to come here and we knew what to expect,” said Havertz, reflecting on his first match against his former club. “We didn’t play our best today, but we’re going home with a good result. We need to step on the gas next week. We’ll have our fans behind us, which is very important.”
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta expressed disappointment at his side’s inability to maintain control after a strong first half.
“We had the game well under control, but didn’t score. Then we let the game slip away. That was unnecessary,” Arteta said. “We gave them hope and it was a different game. In the last 20-25 minutes, we played better again and I think the equaliser was deserved.”
Leverkusen, despite being on the back foot for much of the match, will be optimistic ahead of the return leg at the Emirates.
The draw leaves Arsenal in a strong position, needing just a win at home next week to secure their spot in the quarter-finals for a third consecutive season. However, with Leverkusen showing enough resilience, the second leg promises to be an exciting encounter.
