In a dramatic Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Emirates, Arsenal managed a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, a match that saw Arsenal legend Ian Wright expressing his preference for Gabriel Jesus to start ahead of Kai Havertz.
Despite Arsenal’s early lead, a series of defensive errors allowed Bayern to secure a 2-1 advantage by halftime.
However, Arsenal displayed resilience in the second half, culminating in a crucial equalizer facilitated by Jesus, who had replaced Jorginho in the 66th minute.
Jesus’s skillful play, characterized by his deceptive moves in the box, set up Leandro Trossard for the tying goal 14 minutes from the end.
Wright, the former Arsenal striker, highlighted Jesus’s impactful performance off the bench, suggesting that the ex-Manchester City forward’s presence from the start might have altered the game’s dynamics, especially over Havertz, who was selected to lead the line.
Ian Wright statement.
“I would like to have seen maybe Jesus start that game for some reason,” he said in the latest episode of Wrighty’s House.
“Just because he came on and he just gave us a little bit of something different when he got on the ball when the ball was on the ground, rather than Kai’s physical presence trying to link play and all that.
“I thought in the first half, I would like to have seen a little bit more intricacy in and around their box. I would have liked to see a little more of that.”
Havertz’s physical approach seemed to play into Bayern’s defensive strategy, particularly benefiting Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier in the heart of their defense.
Though it appeared both defenders could be vulnerable, de Ligt especially stood out with an impressive performance against the German forward.
Ultimately, it was Jesus’ prowess in dribbling that breached Bayern’s defense, a tactic Arteta will likely keep in mind for the second leg in Munich.
Penalty appeals.
The match on Tuesday was riddled with controversies, especially regarding decisions on penalties that were not made.
A pivotal moment occurred when Bukayo Saka was brought down in the penalty area by Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer near the match’s conclusion, yet the referee opted not to award a penalty, leaving the Arsenal team in disbelief.
Ian wright on Saka’s penalty claim.
Club legend Ian Wright backed Nyberg’s decision to wave away Saka’s claims and put his focus on the second leg. Wright tweeted: “Not a pen for me. Work to do in Munich.”
Further controversy arose post-match when video footage revealed Gabriel Magalhaes handling the ball following what seemed to be a goal kick by David Raya.
Raya had passed the ball to his center-back, who then handled the ball to reset for another goal kick, sparking protests from a few Bayern players to the referee.
Tuchel’s opinion on the handball controversy.
Speaking after the match, incensed Bayern head coach Tuchel said the referee saw the incident but gave Arsenal the benefit of the doubt for a “kid’s mistake” and did not want to punish them in a Champions League quarter-final. Yikes.
