Arsenal drew Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 thanks to a late penalty converted by former Leverkusen star Kai Havertz and won controversially by Noni Madueke. A mere draw is not what the Gunners expected to get out of this game, even on the road, as they are the Premier League leaders. Here are three players most to blame for the result.
RW Bukayo Saka
This is the worst Bukayo Saka has looked. In a big Champions League game, Saka could not produce anything other than pass the ball backwards, and he genuinely looked slow and concerning, totally lacking in quality.
Injuries are catching up to the talented and efficient winger, who was anything but efficient on this day. The worst player on the pitch, Saka got hooked at the hour mark, and Arsenal were visibly much, much better and more dangerous with Madueke on the pitch.
LB Piero Hincapie
Piero Hincapie has been in great form recently, but this was a big step back. He did not win possession enough to help Arsenal get the ball in dangerous positions, and his attacking contributions were concerningly non-existent.
Arsenal play Hincapie for his ability to play defense, but if he wants to keep starting at left back every week especially in big games, he is going to have to progress the ball more than this.
ST Viktor Gyokeres
Though he was a handful for Robert Andrich to mark early in the game, drawing a yellow card when he nearly turned into the box, that was the only bright moment. Once again, Viktor Gyokeres was slow and totally lacking in all around play. He just isn’t doing enough on the ball for Arsenal to get himself scoring opportunities.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.