Arsenal were second best for most of the night in Germany. Then Kai Havertz made sure none of that mattered.
The Gunners left Leverkusen with a 1-1 draw after a dramatic late penalty rescued them from what had looked like an inevitable defeat in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash at the BayArena on Wednesday night.
Leverkusen set the tone immediately after the break. Robert Andrich rose to meet a corner from Alex Grimaldo and headed home in the 46th minute, punishing slack marking from Arsenal and sending the home crowd into full voice.
From that point, the hosts looked the more dangerous side, repeatedly threatening while Arsenal struggled to turn their possession into anything meaningful in the final third.
Gabriel Martinelli had rattled the crossbar in the first half to give Arsenal fans a glimpse of what could have been, but for long stretches the visitors looked like they were heading home with a loss and a difficult job ahead at the Emirates.
Then the tide flipped in an instant.
Substitute Noni Madueke went down in the penalty area in the closing minutes, and the referee pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Havertz, facing the club where he built his reputation before moving to Arsenal, and he did not flinch. Calm, precise, and straight down the middle. 1-1 in the 89th minute.
A draw felt like more than a draw given how the game had gone.
The tie is now perfectly balanced heading into the second leg at the Emirates, where Arsenal will have home support behind them and the chance to finish the job.
Leverkusen will arrive knowing they were the better side in Germany and will be backing themselves to repeat that performance on the road.
Two legs, one spot in the quarter-finals. It is set up beautifully.
