Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta conceded his side will need to raise their game significantly when Bayer Leverkusen visit the Emirates for the Champions League last-16 second leg.
The Gunners, who swept through the league phase with a perfect record of eight wins from eight, required a 90th-minute penalty from Kai Havertz to salvage a 1-1 draw in Germany.
“I liked that emotionally we understood what we had to do, but the level of execution obviously has to be better,” Arteta said. “And it will be better in the second leg. We’ll adapt a few things and move on.”
Arsenal struck the woodwork through Gabriel Martinelli before the break, but found themselves trailing just seconds into the second half to Robert Andrich’s header – scored from a corner, ironically enough.
The visitors were caught napping straight from kick-off when Martin Terrier forced a brilliant save from David Raya. From the resulting corner, Andrich ghosted away from Eberechi Eze at the back post to nod Leverkusen ahead.
It was a dose of their own medicine for Arsenal, who have been ruthlessly effective from set-pieces all season.
“There’s always two sides to that,” Arteta added. “One is the element of the opponent, that they picked that weakness and that lack of attention or urgency in both situations.
“And the other one is us because we knew, we showed them three clips from last weekend in three different ways and we weren’t ready for that and we got caught.”
The equaliser arrived when Noni Madueke drove past Malik Tillman into the box and was brought down. The decision looked generous, but VAR confirmed Tillman’s hip had clipped Madueke’s foot. Substitute Havertz stepped up to coolly dispatch the penalty against his former club.
“Football is a funny game and it brings special stories,” smiled Arteta. “Him coming back here after such a long time, being part of this club, to come here and score such an important goal, I think it’s a big moment.”
Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand felt aggrieved by the late decision.
“I am disappointed with the penalty at the end. I don’t see a penalty there but that’s the way it went,” he said. “I think sometimes the referee shouldn’t blow the whistle and then check with VAR. If he whistles and it’s not clear and obvious then it stays. But for me, it just wasn’t.”
The Champions League draw
The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals is:
Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea v Galatasaray or Liverpool
Real Madrid or Manchester City v Atalanta or Bayern Munich
Newcastle or Barcelona v Atletico Madrid or Tottenham
Bodo/Glimt or Sporting CP v Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal
The draw for the Champions League semi-finals is:
Silver path: PSG/Chelsea/Galatasaray/Liverpool v Real Madrid/Manchester City/Atalanta/Bayern Munich
Blue path: Newcastle/Barcelona/Atlético Madrid/Tottenham v Bodo/Sporting CP/Bayer Leverkusen/Arsenal
