Arsenal wounded with their own weapon, Lever's son Kai ruthlessly denies them win

After eight wins in as many games in the UCL league phase, Arsenal were on the verge of their first defeat in the current campaign. Mikel Arteta’s men were on the ropes until the 89th minute, as Bayer Leverkusen wounded them with their own weapon - breaking the deadlock less than a minute after the break through their captain Robert Andrich.

Kasper Hjulmand’s crew was terrific tonight, giving a lesson to everyone on how to play against the Gunners, who made only two attempts on target, but still, their deserved victory turned into a devastating draw, as the 89th-minute penalty kick salvaged a 1-1 draw for the visitors. To make matters worse, the man who took it, Kai Havertz, is Lever’s child, but tonight, he was ruthless.

In the end, Bayer put in a fantastic performance, but the return leg in London will be a whole other story, as their chances of advancing are very slim.

Although many predicted an easy challenge for Arsenal after the draw paired them up with Bayer Leverkusen, and even envied the Gunners, the match at BayArena showed they couldn't have been more wrong.

The Bundesliga side played a pretty good first half, denying the visitors' dangerous attacks with a sturdy defence and persistent approach. Lever's midfield and back line were well-organized and ready for anything Mikel Arteta's men could throw at them.

Ex Gunner had a terrible experience playing against Bodo

Bukayo Saka was far from his usual level, Viktor Gyokeres could hardly escape the attention of Bayer's centre-backs, while Gabriel Martinelli wasted the best chance in the opening 45 minutes, hitting the bar in the 20th minute.

On the other hand, Leverkusen mostly relied on their striker Christian Kofane, though the Cameroonian had no chance against Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.

Still, the second half started with a shock for the North London side. In Bayer's first action, seconds after the first referee's whistle, David Raya superbly denied Martin Terrier's header. The home team was awarded a corner kick and broke the deadlock over their captain Robert Andrich, turning Arsenal's greatest weapon against them!

The Gunners needed about ten minutes to recover from the shock, before taking the control of the game in their own hands. Nevertheless, Kasper Hjulmand's team was ready for that.

Leverkusen's defensive block was impeccable, as the visitors couldn't find even the slightest crack in the fortress in front of Janis Blaswich's goal. Arteta did everything he could to refresh his offensive line, subbing on Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus for indisposed Saka, invisible Gyokeres, and disheartened Eberechi Eze, but alas.

By the 89th minute, the only chances the Gunners had to level the score, were Piero Hincapie's 59th-minute mild header and Jurrien Timber's 83rd-minute header over the bar.

However, in the penultimate minute, Bayer threw everything good they did in the game out the window, conceding penalty after Malik Tillman's reckless tackle on Madueke. Lever's child, Havertz, took the responsibility and sent the spot kick home, significantly decreasing his former club's chances to progress ahead of the return leg at Emirates Stadium.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - ROUND OF 16

Tuesday

Galatasaray - Liverpool 1-0 (1-0)

/Lemina 7/

Atalanta - Bayern Munich 1-6 (0-3)

/Pasalic 90+3 - Stanisic 12, Olise 22, 64, Gnabry 25, Jackson 52, Musiala 67/

Atletico Madrid - Tottenham 5-2 (4-1)

/Llorente 6, Griezmann 14, Alvarez 15, 55, Le Normand 22 - Porro 26, Solanke 76/

Newcastle - Barcelona 1-1 (0-0)

/Barnes 86 - Yamal 90+6 pen/

Wednesday

Leverkusen - Arsenal 1-1 (0-0)

/Andrich 46 - Havertz 89 pen/

23.00: (2.60) Bodo (3.80) Sporting (2.65)

23.00: (2.00) PSG (3.60) Chelsea (4.00)

23.00: (3.50) Real Madrid (3.90) Man.City (2.05)

***odds are subject to change***