Two decades ago at Highbury, Arsenal dismantled Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 during the 2001-02 Champions League second group stage, even though the German side went on to reach that season’s final. On Tuesday at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta’s current group revived that sense of superiority with a controlled 2-0 victory that felt both modern and familiar.
Arsenal stayed in their 4-2-3-1, Bukayo Saka wearing the armband and Eberechi Eze operating between the lines. Xabi Alonso again trusted Leverkusen’s 3-4-2-1, but Arsenal’s passing quickly gnawed at its structure. The breakthrough arrived in the 36th minute when Leandro Trossard slipped a pass into Eze, who steadied himself and finished past Janis Blaswich.
Leverkusen emerged from the interval with greater intent, only for Arsenal’s press to disrupt their rhythm. Exequiel Palacios collected a yellow card for a foul in the 46th minute as frustration grew at the base of Alonso’s midfield.
Declan Rice settled the contest in the 63rd minute, completing a move he began by regaining the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. The midfielder dictated the tempo throughout, attempting 52 passes and turning recoveries into sustained attacks.
Saka, so often isolated against Alejandro Grimaldo, produced a quietly dominant display with four shots on target, five key passes and a string of diagonals that stretched Leverkusen. Alongside him, Martín Zubimendi and Piero Hincapié gave Arsenal balance on the left before Zubimendi made way for Christian Nørgaard in the 68th minute to preserve energy.
Leverkusen owned 58 percent of possession yet mustered only two shots on target. Malik Tillman replaced Martin Terrier and Montrell Culbreath took over from Ernest Poku in the 60th minute, but neither switch unlocked the visitors’ attack. Patrik Schick’s introduction for Palacios in the 70th minute also failed to trouble William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, whose timing in the air was immaculate. Blaswich, with 10 saves, was the main reason the deficit stayed at two goals.
Arteta refreshed his side in the 69th minute, sending on Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Cristhian Mosquera in one wave to guard the lead. Viktor Gyökeres then made way for Myles Lewis-Skelly in the 90th minute, allowing the hosts to ease through the closing stages.
Key Statistics
- Possession: Arsenal 42 percent, Bayer Leverkusen 58 percent
- Total shots: Arsenal 21, Bayer Leverkusen 9
- Shots on target: Arsenal 12, Bayer Leverkusen 2
- Corners: Arsenal 10, Bayer Leverkusen 8
- Expected goals: Arsenal 1.70, Bayer Leverkusen 0.52
Arsenal remain flawless in this Champions League campaign—eight wins from eight and only four goals conceded—and they will carry a 2-0 advantage to the BayArena for the second leg.
