Arsenal were controversially denied a last-gasp penalty as they drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in a thrilling first leg of their heavyweight Champions League quarter-final tie.
Bukayo Saka was brought down inside the box by Manuel Neuer in the final seconds of Tuesday night’s pulsating clash in north London, only to see his spot-kick appeals waved away by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg, who then promptly blew the final whistle amid a furious reaction from the home fans, players and coaches.
Substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard had earlier combined to net a potentially crucial equaliser at the Emirates Stadium, securing a share of the spoils for Mikel Arteta’s side after Saka’s early opener had been wiped out by former Gunner Serge Gnabry and a penalty from Harry Kane.
Arsenal made a perfect start to proceedings in front of a 100 per cent home crowd, with Gunners fans filling the away end at the Emirates after Bayern Munich’s travelling supporters were handed a one-match ban by Uefa.
Saka gave them a stylish goal to cheer inside just 12 minutes, curling a brilliant low effort beyond the fit-again Bayern captain Neuer after good work from Martin Odegaard and Ben White.
They should have quickly gone 2-0 ahead when Neuer crucially denied White, an intervention that was quickly compounded when Gabriel’s loose pass was seized upon by Kane and two great passes from Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka teed up Gnabry, who slid the ball through the legs of David Raya from close range to equalise against his former club in just six minutes.
Things went from bad to worse for unusually sloppy Arsenal when the brilliant Sane dazzled his way into the box before being tripped by William Saliba, with referee Nyberg having no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot on that occasion.
Kane usually blasts his penalties home in emphatic fashion, but on this occasion waited for goalkeeper Raya - hero of the last-16 shootout win over Porto - to commit before rolling the ball coolly in the opposite direction to silence the Emirates and put Bayern in front.
Trossard grabbed the all-important equaliser with a low strike 14 minutes from time after sublime footwork from fellow substitute Gabriel Jesus, with Arsenal feeling they should have been given the chance to win the game from the spot in the dying seconds as Saka was denied a penalty following Neuer’s challenge.
