Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as Gunners settle for draw in quarter-final first leg

Arsenal could only manage a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich during their Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Emirates on Tuesday night.

A lively first half in north London saw Bayern take a surprise lead into the break, with Serge Gnabry's strike and Harry Kane's penalty cancelling out Bukayo Saka's excellent opener.

Leandro Trossard proved Arsenal's saviour from the bench in the second half, hammering home a vital equaliser as a thrilling affair ended all square.

How the game unfolded

Arsenal's players were met by a cacophonous noise as they walked out at the Emirates and the decibels were raised just 12 minutes into proceedings as Saka fired the hosts in front. The winger found space inside the box following Ben White's pass and bent an inch-perfect effort into Manuel Neuer's far corner.

The Gunners almost capitalised on some sloppy Bayern defending four minutes later as White was picked out just ten yards from goal, but he smashed his effort straight at Neuer.

Arsenal were then punished for a huge opportunity wasted as Bayern drew level just before the 20-minute mark, with Gnabry netting against his former employers. Gabriel gifted the ball to the visitors, who swiftly sliced through the Gunners' backline before Gnabry smartly converted Leon Goretzka's pass.

Despite Arsenal's bright start, Bayern completed an impressive first-half turnaround just after the half-hour mark, and it was, rather unsurprisingly, Kane who grabbed the second. Leroy Sane's mazy run drew a penalty following William Saliba's late challenge, with the England captain calmly rolling home from 12 yards to continue his excellent record against the Gunners.

The visitors continued to show their teeth on the counter-attack after the restart and goalscorers Gnabry and Kane both fired efforts wide of David Raya's goal. At the other end, Arsenal were struggling to break down an increasingly confident Bayern defence.

However, Arsenal's persistence did eventually pay off with 14 minutes to play. Substitute Gabriel Jesus danced past several Bayern bodies on the edge of the area, setting up Trossard to fire a precise effort into the bottom corner to level proceedings.

Substitute Kingsley Coman came within inches of grabbing a late winner for Bayern to take back to Bavaria, but his near-post flick struck the base of the Arsenal post.

Arsenal felt they could have had a late penalty when Saka went down in the penalty area after colliding with Neuer, but referee Glenn Nyberg waved appeals away despite the fury of the home supporters.

In the end, the Gunners could only manage a draw despite home advantage, with the tie finely poised ahead of the second leg at the Allianz Arena next week.

Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: David Raya - 5/10 - Rushed out of his goal unnecessarily in the build-up to Bayern's 18th-minute leveller, somewhat forcing Gabriel into a mistake. Dived too early for Kane's penalty.

RB: Ben White - 7/10 - Offered huge threat in the attacking third and set up his side's first. Made an important contribution to deny Sane a third for Bayern in the first half.

CB: William Saliba - 6/10 - A dangled leg gifted Bayern a penalty, which Kane calmly converted. A few clumsy moments up against the Bayern forward.

CB: Gabriel - 6/10 - The Brazilian's errant pass led to Bayern's first-half equaliser, although Raya's positioning didn't help him. Won a number of his physical duels against Bayern's forwards.

LB: Jakub Kiwior - 5/10 - Sacrificed for the more attack-minded Oleksandr Zinchenko at the break after a difficult first half up against the speedy Sane. Couldn't handle the German's powerful runs.

CM: Martin Odegaard - 7/10 - Acted as playmaker in the final third but his radar was a little off. Still enjoyed some neat touches in the final third and looked lively throughout.

CM: Jorginho - 6/10 - Not his best performance and was often overrun by Goretzka and Konrad Laimer. Substituted as Arteta sought attacking reinforcements.

CM: Declan Rice - 6/10 - A solid display from the Englishman, who still performed admirably despite not being at his swashbuckling best.

RW: Bukayo Saka - 8/10 - A wonderful finish to give Arsenal the lead and he was easily the liveliest member of Arsenal's forward line, giving Alphonso Davies some difficult moments.

ST: Kai Havertz - 6/10 - Drifted in and out of the game and couldn't continue his good goalscoring form. Didn't make too many telling contributions in the Bayern half.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 5/10 - Almost invisible during the first half and couldn't get the better of Joshua Kimmich after the break despite being more involved.

Substitutes

SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (46' for Kiwior) - 7/10 - Made a positive impact from the bench as he allowed Arsenal to overload central areas.

SUB: Gabriel Jesus (66' for Jorginho) - 8/10 - Set up Arsenal's second-half equaliser with some magical footwork.

SUB: Leandro Trossard (66' for Martinelli) - 8/10 - Such a clinical finisher, with the Belgian rifling home a low drive shortly after coming on.

SUB: Thomas Partey (86' for Havertz) - N/A

Subs not used: Aaron Ramsdale (GK), Karl Hein (GK), Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mohamed Elneny, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah.

Manager

Mikel Arteta - 6/10 - He will be pleased with aspects of his side's performances, but their defensive display left a lot to be desired at times. However, Arsenal are still in a strong position to qualify.

Bayern Munich player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Manuel Neuer - 7/10 - Made one vital stop to deny White early on and was helpless for Arsenal's efforts.

RB: Joshua Kimmich - 7/10 - Kept Martinelli quiet from start to finish, with Arsenal's best moments coming down the opposite flank.

CB: Matthijs de Ligt - 7/10 - A strong outing up against Arsenal's impressive forward line, with the Dutchman sniffing out the danger on several occasions.

CB: Eric Dier - 6/10 - Should have been tighter to Saka for Arsenal's opener, but was otherwise solid.

LB: Alphonso Davies - 6/10 - Some sloppy defensive moments up against Saka. Booked early on and will now miss the second leg next week.

CM: Konrad Laimer - 7/10 - Made one or two poor fouls in his own half but he still helped Bayern dominate the midfield battle for large periods.

CM: Leon Goretzka - 8/10 - A terrific, all-action performance to silence his critics on the big stage. Made some vital defensive interventions, set up Gnabry's equaliser and burst through the Arsenal midfield on several occasions.

RM: Leroy Sane - 8/10 - An electric performance from the Bayern attacker, who was a constant thorn in Arsenal's side. Created the second and stretched the hosts' defence throughout.

AM: Jamal Musiala - 6/10 - Tried his best to use his dancing feet in the Arsenal final third but it was ultimately a quiet display by his lofty standards.

LM: Serge Gnabry - 7/10 - A lively start from the former Arsenal man who punished his old side with a well-taken goal. Ran himself into the ground before going off injured.

ST: Harry Kane - 8/10 - The former Tottenham forward enjoyed his return to north London, netting a penalty and spraying some unbelievable passes across the Emirates turf.

Substitutes

SUB: Kingsley Coman (66' for Sane) - 6/10

SUB: Raphael Guerreiro (70' for Gnabry) - 6/10

Subs not used: Sven Ulreich (GK), Daniel Peretz (GK), Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, Noussair Mazraoui, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Thomas Muller, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Bryan Zaragoza, Mathys Tel.

Manager

Thomas Tuchel - 7/10 - Given how terrible his side have been this season, this was an encouraging performance from Bayer. They used their experience to keep themselves in the tie and showed their threat on the break.

Player of the match - Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich)

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