Mikel Arteta Lauds Arsenal “Finishers” After Late Leverkusen Rescue

Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal “finishers” after substitutes Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz rescue a Champions League draw at Leverkusen.

Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal “finishers” after the substitutes helped rescue a dramatic 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Arsenal looked set to suffer defeat at the BayArena after Robert Andrich powered home a header seconds into the second half. However, late contributions from Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz changed the outcome of the match.

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Madueke won a decisive penalty in the 89th minute, and Havertz calmly converted the spot-kick to level the score.

The result leaves the last-16 tie perfectly balanced ahead of next week’s second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta’s late substitutions proved crucial when the match began to drift away from Arsenal.

Madueke injected pace and directness into the attack shortly after coming on. The winger repeatedly drove at Leverkusen’s defence before creating the decisive moment late in the match.

His burst into the penalty area forced a foul that was confirmed after a VAR check.

Havertz, returning to the club where he began his professional career, stepped forward to take the penalty.

The German forward kept his composure and slotted the ball calmly into the bottom corner to secure the equaliser.

Speaking after the match, Arteta credited the impact of his substitutes.

“We improved with the finishers,” Arteta said. “A different threat started to create around the box and Noni created the moment to score. For Kai to stay calm and make that decision, big credit to him.”

Arsenal’s Squad Depth Continues To Deliver

The equaliser continued a strong trend for Arsenal in this season’s Champions League.

Havertz’s goal marked the seventh time a substitute has scored for the Gunners in the competition — the highest number of any team involved.

Arteta believes that depth is one of the squad’s greatest strengths.

“That’s the big quality of this team,” he explained. “The amount of goals and assists across the squad is unbelievable. It’s our biggest strength and we have to maintain it.”

The Arsenal manager has consistently referred to his bench players as “finishers,” emphasising their role in deciding games late on.

Despite the late recovery, Arteta admitted he was frustrated with how Arsenal began the second half.

Leverkusen took the lead just seconds after the restart when Andrich headed home from a corner.

Arteta revealed that his team had already prepared for the hosts’ quick restarts.

“We wanted to start very strong in the second half and we did completely the opposite,” he admitted. “We didn’t pay enough attention to the kick-off and we paid the price.”

Still, the manager praised his players for maintaining their composure and fighting back late in the game.

Emirates Second Leg Now Decisive

The 1-1 result means the tie remains wide open heading into the return leg in north London.

Arteta is already counting on the support inside the Emirates Stadium to give his side the edge.

“We will have to use the home advantage now,” he said. “The tie is fifty-fifty and we’re going to need our people at their best.”

Arsenal remain in contention across several competitions this season, and their squad depth could again prove decisive when the teams meet next week.

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