All square at the half-way stage as Arsenal and Bayern duke out entertaining draw

It was a topsy-turvy game. Arsenal started like a steam-train, took an early lead through a Saka special before falling behind to goals from two former academy boys, Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane – who else?
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates their first after 12 minutes.

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates their first after 12 minutes.

Arsenal 2 (Saka 12, Trossard 74) Bayern Munich 2 (Gnabry 18, Kane pen 32) 

And so to Munich, with everything to play for next week.

Leandro Trossard's late goal levelled the tie for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta's side might have come away victorious if Glenn Nyberg had awarded a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time, when Bukayo Saka went tumbling over Manuel Neuer's outstretched leg.

The Swedish referee saw no offence, however, and nor did VAR, and now Arsenal will travel to Germany having to beat the Germans on their own turf if they are to reach the semi-finals.

It was a topsy-turvy game. Arsenal started like a steam-train, took an early lead through a Saka special before falling behind to goals from two former academy boys, Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane – who else? The England captain scored his 15th goal in 20 games against Arsenal, and his 39th of a remarkable first season for Bayern, but escaped with a yellow card when he might have seen red for an elbow into the face of Gabriel.

In the end, Trossard's equaliser ensured parity, which Arsenal deserved, but Arteta will be concerned by how easily Thomas Tuchel's team opened them up at times, spurning two more good chances and hitting a post.

For the opening 15 minutes, the game was as one-sided as the atmosphere, with UEFA banning Bayern fans from the Emirates Stadium after fireworks were thrown on the pitch against Lazio in the previous round.

Arsenal dominated the opening period, moving the ball slickly and with purpose in possession, and hounding down Bayern when the German side tried to play out from the back. Eric Dier, who along with Kane was booed at every touch, gave the ball away twice in the early stages to the delight of those supporters who sang derogatory songs about the former Spurs man.

But the error that led to Saka's opener came from a combination of Alphonso Davies and Gnabry, who failed to make a straightforward clearance when Martin Odegaard dinked a delightful ball into the right-hand channel. The pair dithered and allowed Saka to dart into the penalty area and curl a low shot past Neuer and into the far corner of goal.

The Emirates erupted and expected an avalanche of goals to follow. And they might have done had the next chance, barely five minutes later, fallen to anyone but Ben White. Again Gnabry was at fault, misdirecting a header to Kai Havertz, whose pass found White one on one with Neuer. Where composure was called for, the defender seemed to panic, snatched at his chance and shot tamely straight at the keeper.

Home supporters groaned. It was to prove a costly miss.

Bayern had barely had a sniff of goal, but two minutes after White's miss, Gnabry equalised. David Raya set alarm bells ringing when he charged without reason almost to the halfway line, where Gabriel was on the ball. Collective panic seemed to set in as his clearance went past Jakub Kiwior and allowed Leroy Sane to intercept and set Leon Goretzka away. Gnabry made a darting run into the penalty area and when the ball was played forward, he clipped it neatly past Raya.

It was like being back in lockdown as the goal was met with silence, bar the odd suppressed shout from members of the travelling German media.

From this point Arsenal started to lose their composure and Bayern began to grow back into the game. Kane almost found Sane with a delightful forward pass, before the former Manchester City winger won the penalty that allowed Kane to score.

Sane set off from wide on the right, zipped past Kiwior far too easily and advanced into the penalty area. Gabriel advanced, but then William Saliba stuck out a foot and took out the winger. Referee Nyberg pointed straight to the penalty spot, and once Kane took the ball, there was only one possible outcome. Raya made the England captain's job easier with an early dive to his right, allowing Kane to roll the ball casually into the opposite corner of goal.

Home supporters were stunned to see their side behind, and it could – should – have been 3-1 soon afterwards when an error from White allowed Sane a clear run on goal. The German spurned a chance to shoot as he approached Raya, however, and White toned for his mistake with a saving tackle.

Mikel Arteta made one change at the break, sending on Oleksandr Zinchenko for Kiwior, and the game was more even after the break.

Kane was lucky not to see red when he caught Gabriel in the face with an elbow. Referee Nyberg considered it only a bookable offence and VAR did not see fit to intervene. Goretzka, Konrad Laimer and Gnabry and tried their luck with long shots, Arsenal's forwards found their best efforts blocked. 

Arteta made a decisive switch in the 66th minute, sending on Trossard and Gabriel, and within eight minutes they combined to equalise. It started with a Bayern throw-in, but Arsenal's determination won back the ball, Jesus took it into the penalty area and squared foir Trossard, who swept a low shot past Neuer.

But still Bayern went forward, and in the closing stages Kingsley Coman turned Jamal Musiala's cutback against the near post from close range.

One bonus for Arteta is that the speedy Davies was booked, meaning he will miss the second leg through suspension.

But neither side will go into the second leg as clear favourites on the evidence of this match.

ARSENAL: Raya 6; White 6, Saliba 7, Gabriel 7, Kiwior 6 (Zinchenko 46); Rice 7, Jorginho 6 (Jesus 66); Saka 7, Odegaard 8, Martinelli 6 (Trossard 66); Havertz 6 (Partey 85).

BAYERN MUNICH: Neuer 7; Kimmich 6, De Ligt 7, Dier 6, Davies 7; Goretzka 6, Laimer 7; Sane 7 (Coman 66), Musiala 6, Gnabry 7; Kane 7. 

Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden) 7.

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