Mikel Arteta’s bold calls pay off after Arsenal haunted by old foe Harry Kane

Fortune favours the brave. And the lucky. Or so Arsenal will hope. With the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final and maybe the tie itself drifting away – and with Harry Kane coming back to haunt them as they feared he would – Mikel Arteta simply decided to go for it.

His team had created nothing in the second-half having naively surrendered an early lead, with uncharacteristic calamitous mistakes from their centre-halves, and so the Arsenal manager rolled the dice.

At 2-1 down he risked a heavier defeat and maybe effectively going out of the competition but, instead, was rewarded with an equalising goal as Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, his two attacking substitutes, combined with the latter scoring.

Trossard is earning something of a reputation as a super sub and although it is a role he will not want to embrace, it enhances his value as he left matters so finely balanced ahead of next Wednesday’s meeting back in Munich.

If that was the brave then there was also the fortune.

In fact there was so much to debate, so many points of contention, so many opinions after a humdinger of a game on Arsenal’s return to this stage of the Champions League for the first time in 14 years.

The biggest of all? A strange, weird, unfathomable one as Gabriel should have conceded a second penalty as he picked the ball up inside his own area after David Raya played a goal-kick to him. Bayern protested to Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg who – astonishingly – said he could not give it as it was a “childish mistake” with Gabriel believing the kick had not been taken. Wow. That was some let-off.

In that context Arsenal’s claims that Kane should have been sent off – rather than yellow-carded – after appearing to catch Gabriel in the throat with his elbow and their demands for a penalty of their own when Bukayo Saka collided with Manuel Neuer in injury-time can be brushed aside. They got away with one.

If there was contention then there was further debate as to where this result leaves the tie. The obvious answer is evenly poised especially as away goals are no longer factored into European competition.

In a sense, despite the penalty argument, Bayern will be the happier as they return to the Allianz Arena knowing they only need a win – any kind of win – to proceed to the last four even if they will rue their own substitute Kingsley Coman stabbing a close-range chance against the post in the 89th minute.

But given their pedigree and history in this competition, despite the puzzling wretchedness of their domestic form, they are the favourites and it would still be some achievement for Arsenal to go through at the intimidating home of the six-time winners.

And yet Arsenal will not be beating themselves up. They salvaged a draw, there is everything to play for and they can certainly perform better than this while their away record is impressive. The question is: do they have the character to see this through?

What they must also ward against is Kane. The England captain scored from the penalty spot, there was no doubt he would, and in his first season at Bayern it was his 39th goal in 38 games. It is an astonishing, if not unexpected, return. It was also his 15th in just 20 games against Arsenal. How the former Tottenham hero loves to face them with six of those goals scored at the Emirates – more than any other opposition player since the stadium opened in 2006.

And as vulnerable as Bayern are they still have a dangerous front four and as much as Arsenal saved themselves with their changes, so the Germans were damaged as both Leroy Sane and their other goalscorer Serge Gnabry – the former Arsenal winger – went off as they return from injury. They lost some of their impetus.

Yet those Bayern goals. And yet Kane. Arsenal had gone into the lead with Saka scoring imperiously, arcing a shot around the – at that stage – hapless Eric Dier as the former Spurs defender stupidly backed off and were set to double that advantage only for Ben White to shoot straight at Neuer.

Still, they were in front and had conceded just two goals in their last 10 games. Only to give away two in 14 chaotic minutes. What made it more shocking was the culpability of Gabriel and William Saliba.

There was little danger as Gabriel had the ball but just what was he doing as he passed it waywardly towards Jakub Kiwior? Also just what was David Raya doing as he was way out of goal and not helping his defender? Sane intervened, Leon Goretzka cleverly picked out Gnabry and he slid the ball home.

There was silence inside the stadium – there were no Bayern fans, banned because of setting off pyrotechnics in previous away games – but it felt apt. There were plenty of fireworks on the pitch while eery quiet summed up how stunningly bad that was from Arsenal.

It got worse when Sane ran from half-way, evading tackle after tackle, only to be tripped by Saliba. Just what was the defender thinking beyond panicking? It was poor. Really poor. And it was undoubtedly a penalty. Who would take it? Kane, of course. The boos rang out but to no effect. Raya dived to his right; Kane rolled the ball to the goalkeeper’s left and Bayern were ahead.

Arsenal were throwing it away and the story would be their failure to cope with the occasion. But they rallied. They gave themselves hope as Trossard swept in Jesus’s lay-off. Deliciously it is in the balance as Arsenal showed enough spirit – and Arteta enough tactical acumen – to give them hope after they rode their luck.

Arsenal 2 Bayern Munich 2, as it happened

10:56 PM BST

And here is the Bayern pen

10:48 PM BST

They have just shown the Bayern penalty appeal

Gabriel picks up the ball when the whistle had gone.

Actually looks like a stonewall pen. The ref had definitely blown his whistle.

10:41 PM BST

More from Arteta

“I haven’t seen it, a decision was made, we cannot change it. We have to focus on what we can control and we could have done a lot better tonight.

“At the critical moment of the match Ben White is in front of Neuer to make it 2-0, and if that goes in it is a very different feeling in the match.

[On Saliba and Gabriel errors]:

“It happens, maybe it happened before and they didn’t get punished.”

10:33 PM BST

Thomas Tuchel thinks his side should have had a penalty

The interviewer doesn’t seem to know what he is talking about but then he elaborates it was a for a ‘kid’s mistake’ when an Arsenal defender did not hear a whistle to restart play and picked up the ball from Raya’s pass. I don’t know what he’s talking about either but he says the referee told him he had seen it but hadn’t given it because he didn’t think it warranted a penalty even if it was a clear breach of the laws.

10:27 PM BST

Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT Sports

10:20 PM BST

Here’s Harry Kane’s post-match interview

10:11 PM BST

Old rivalries

Not sure if it’s coming through on the TV audio but at least 100 Arsenal fans have stayed behind to sing rude songs at Harry Kane as he speaks to the TNT Sports team, positioned unwisely close to the stands.

10:05 PM BST

What do you think? Pen or no pen?

10:04 PM BST

Keith Hackett: Kane should have been sent off

You can read the column in full here.

09:59 PM BST

Trossard speaks to TNT Sports

09:56 PM BST

Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand

Say it was a stonewall penalty. When there is some video I’ll post it and you can judge.

09:55 PM BST

Full time: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

All square as they head to the Allianz and that seems like a fair result. Arsenal fans will rue the decision not to award a late penalty but Saka seemed to hang out a leg and deliberately catch Neuere before hitting the deck.

09:53 PM BST

90+5 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Huge Arsenal penalty shout when Saka tried to round Neuer. Saka seemed to kick Neuer rather than the other way round. Looked like a good decision.

09:52 PM BST

90+5 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Odegaard goes sprawling when challenged by Davies 20 yards out but the referee just tells him to get up.

09:51 PM BST

90+4 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Arsenal again come down the left but Kimmich is there to stop him.

09:50 PM BST

90+2 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Five minutes of stoppage time have been signalled. Arsenal stroke the ball around until Trossard’s heavy touch squirts the ball out for a Bayern throw.

09:48 PM BST

90 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Coman stabs a shot from five yards into the foot of the post on the end of a fine pull-back by Musiala.

09:47 PM BST

Crowd in full voice

Crowd doing their bit here, drums banged, voices strained. Just need a final push from their team. Until the equaliser you would have that down as an excellent defensive performance from Bayern. They blocked passing lanes, judged their distances perfectly and roughed anyone up who threatens to escape their clutches.

Then a moment of clarity for Arsenal among the murk and a wonderfully composed finish from Trossard. A night to be grateful for the end of the away goals rule, but you still have to call this a missed opportunity for Arsenal if it remains level.

Bayern, specifically Kane, not quite done yet either. He is still a bystander for long periods but has found the odd beautiful pass to his wide men and looks primed for one more decisive intervention.

09:46 PM BST

88 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Tactical foul from Partey stops a Bayern counter and earns him a yellow card. .

09:44 PM BST

86 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Saka trips Musiala and Bayern have a free-kick, left of centre. Kane stands over it but leaves it for Guerreiro. The former Dortmund man stands up the cross but Arsenal are all over it.

09:43 PM BST

84 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Saka is played in on the right of the box by Odegaard and he stands up a cross that drifts past the far post. All it needed was a touch as it bypassed Neuere but no Arsenal player was in the postcode.

09:40 PM BST

82 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Kane picks out Coman with a pass out to the left but White has him covered.

09:39 PM BST

79 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

Bayern still looking dangerous on the counter. Arsenal do not want to go too gung ho here. There’s loads of time left in this tie.

09:37 PM BST

77 min: Arsenal 2 Bayern 2

The Emirates has stormed back into life.

09:33 PM BST

GOAL!

Arsenal 2 Bayern 2 (Trossard)  Rice wins the header from the throw, Trossard hooks it over his head to Jesus who cushions the pass, turns and chops, playing the perfect pass to Trossard arriving as if on cue to steer a shot into the bottom corner.

09:33 PM BST

74 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Arsenal throw-in high on the right. They work it back to Saliba who recycles and sends them back up the right but Musiala forces a Bayern throw-in.

09:31 PM BST

72 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Dier runs into Laimer and is caught across the nose as he tried to keep Gabriel Jesus away from the penalty area.

09:30 PM BST

Arsenal’s body language

I’d be a bit worried about some of the body language here if I was Arteta. Resigned and mildly petulant throw back of the head from Jorginho when he uncharacteristically put a short-range pass straight to an opponent’s feet. He’s off soon afterwards, lots now riding on Trossard and Jesus.

Arsenal presumably delighted to see the back of Sane, who has looked Bayern’s most frightening player in attack.

Coos of appreciation from the Kane pass which put his replacement Coman into space on the right. Not ideal for Arsenal that Sane’s replacement is a player who settled the final of this competition last time Bayern won it.

09:28 PM BST

70 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Guerreiro ⇢ Gnabry.

After that delay, Bayern take the corner and Arsenal defend it solidly.

09:26 PM BST

69 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Rice crouches to block Kane’s 20-yard shot and the ball goes behind for a corner. Gnabry is injured or physically spent and will have to go off.

09:24 PM BST

68 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Martinelli ⇢ Trossard

Gabriel Jesus ⇢ Jorginho

And for Bayern

Coman ⇢ Sane.

09:23 PM BST

66 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Slick passing from Sane and Kane get Gnabry in down the left of the box, tight angle but he shoots anyway and his riser goes over the angle of post and cross bar.

09:22 PM BST

64 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Havertz hits the deck in the box and the whole ground appeals for a penalty but Havertz had stepped on to De Ligt’s foot, not vice versa.

09:20 PM BST

62 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Saka and Davies seem to be enjoying their duel down the Arsenal right but Laimer is digging his left-back out of trouble with good support.

09:19 PM BST

60 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Odegaard tries to pick out Havertz from the free-kick but sends it ahead of him. Kane’s passing has been excellent tonight, picking out Sane at will. Jorginho now loses the ball and Laimetr shoots from 22 yards but launches it into orbit.

09:16 PM BST

59 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Saka lets the ball run across him again to lose his marker and skips away from Lainer who legs him up, 25 yards out, right of centre.

09:14 PM BST

57 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Kimmich clears Odegaard’s free-kick after a mis-hit from White.

09:13 PM BST

56 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Zinchenko whips over a cross that Dier heads out and Kane sticks an elbow in Gabriel’s face as he backs towards the header, smacking him across his chin. Yellow card. I suppose the fact he didn’t jerk his arm back saved him from heavier punishment.

Havertz has been so good of late that we have had a few weeks off from “we need a striker” rhetoric for Arsenal fans, but (ahem) striking that when Martinelli nodded a cross back across goal the six-yard box was empty. Offside, in any case, but they have looked pretty blunt up top since the equaliser. Jesus and perhaps Nketiah have a role to play off the bench.

Frustration building in the stands at Arsenal’s perceived lack of forward motion. They are toiling to little effect so far in this half. Arteta, so much calmer in his technical area this season, looks to be reaching a gentle simmer. Arms folded for now but I am expecting some world class gesticulation from the manager soon.

09:11 PM BST

54 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Laimer has had a good game so far, covering his back four, tackling crisply and knocking short passes to get them going. Arsenal are snatching at their passes, trying to hit the front three too soon.

09:09 PM BST

53 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Arsenal certainly seem to have pivoted more to the left this half after Zinchenko’s introduction but they haven’t found a through ball for Martinelli yet.

09:08 PM BST

52 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Rice takes the free-kick with his right foot from the left and sticks it on to the roof of the net.

09:07 PM BST

50 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Saka has to track back towards his box to help White deal with Gnabry and does so effectively. Back up the other end Sane is penalised for knocking Rice over, wide on the Arsenal left.

09:05 PM BST

48 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Gabriel and Saliba knock the ball between them a couple of times and then horseshoe it around from left to right, finally driving forward with Havertz down the right and he stands up a deep cross for Martinelli … but Havertz was offside.

09:03 PM BST

46 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Raya knocks it long from the kick-off when they roll the ball back to him but Dier wins the header and Bayern break with Sane. Arsenal get enough back to cover on the counter.

09:02 PM BST

Half-time substitution

Zinchenko ⇢ Kiwior

08:50 PM BST

Half-time verdict

You can see Bayern have the ability to make this a very trying evening from here. Gnabry is working well to support his vulnerable left-back, forcing Saka to drop into deep and less relevant positions to get on the ball. Odegaard has been impressively tenacious out of possession on a couple of occasions, but there is little room for him to conjure in between Goretzka and Laimer, especially with Bayern’s front four dropping as deeply as they have when out of possession. We’ve seen so many demonstrations of steel from Arteta’s team this year. This feels like a challenge for the manager. How do you solve this?

08:49 PM BST

Half-time: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Arsenal have been imperious at times down their right but have done virtually nothing down the left and have been caught twice when their defence has had to scramble because they have been too high to stop a counter-attack from deep.

08:47 PM BST

45+1 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Arsenal are caught offside, Havertz the offender after Davies loses possession.

08:46 PM BST

45 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Just the one minute of added time. European refs are decidedly illiberal when it comes to stoppage time.

08:45 PM BST

43 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Owen Hargreaves is preaching patience for Arsenal. This is Bayern’s last throw of the dice and they will be rattled at points during the game. Would help if they could get Martinelli and Havertz more involved.

08:43 PM BST

41 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Arsenal corner after good work from Odegaard and Saka at close quarters down the right. Saka will take. Saka whips it under the bar, Gabriel swan-necks a header towards goal but the whistle goes for a foul on Neuer before any damage can be done to Bayern’s lead.

08:41 PM BST

Takes two (crowds) to tango

Think this crowd is suffering now for the lack of away fans. There is nothing for it to define itself against, no stimulus to respond to. Even the abuse of Kane for celebrating his penalty in their general direction seemed muted. Ugly, ugly penalty to concede. Arsenal’s defensive solidity becoming a mirage, several of its best components vanishing simultaneously as Sane ran towards goal.

A prolonged firework display behind the East Stand shortly beforehand. No idea why. Perhaps some Spurs fans welcoming Dier and Kane back to North London? Kane had been ominously quiet. So many times watching him for Spurs he seemed to be bobbing through matches at walking pace, then turning it on when it mattered and inevitably scoring at least once.

He definitely looks to be on energy-saving mode so far this evening but has that goal already and it was his intelligently-angled closing down which forced Gabriel into his dodgy pass out to Kiwior ahead of the first goal. White and Odegaard preventing further disaster from Sane has roused the crowd again but despite such a promising start the home side could do with the break now.

08:40 PM BST

38 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Kane takes a blow on the knee from Martinelli as he hangs a leg across the England captain. Goretzka is reading the game fluently at the moment, diligently getting back to nick Saka’s pass away from Havertz in the Bayern box.

08:37 PM BST

36 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Wonderful covering tackle from Ben White as Sane bears down on goal, sprinting 50 yards when White’s header is intercepted and Arsenal’s back four were caught far too high upfield. Just as Sane was about to pull the trigger, White slid in to poke it away.

08:35 PM BST

34 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Odegaard shoots from 20 yards and Goretzka gets across to block bravely.

08:34 PM BST

32 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 2

Arsenal’s centre-halves have been magnificent this season but each played a part in Bayern’s goals. The crowd has gone as flat as a proverbial pancake.

08:32 PM BST

GOAL!

Arsenal 1 Bayern 2 (Kane, pen)  He takes his time, stutters in his run up, sits Raya down and bends the ball into the right half of goal.

08:31 PM BST

29 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 1

Now Laimer comes out to help Davies deal with Saka. Bayern break with Neuer knocking it deftly to Kimmich who feeds Sane who hares upfield and into the box where he is legged up by Saliba.

Bayern penalty!

08:29 PM BST

Breaking cover

Incredibly weird to see a goal in a game like this greeted by negative noise as that one was. Stadium now feels like a deflated balloon. Looks like a couple of Bayern supporters broke cover in the home end after the goal, two middle-aged chaps wearing distinctly mainland European casual jackets have just been escorted out by the stewards near me and sworn at by the Arsenal fans around them.

Pretty disastrous goal for Arsenal to concede under so little pressure. Saka vs booked Davies always seemed likely to bear fruit for Arsenal, but perhaps not as quickly as it did. Arsenal were basically doing whatever they liked down Bayern’s left-hand side. Thomas Tuchel, already one finger-wagging row deep with the fourth official, had sat back on his bench.

But ties like this against the old European perennials can turn in a hurry. Key for Arsenal to settle now and work the ball to Saka as often as possible, you would imagine Bayern will tweak their approach at half-time.

08:28 PM BST

27 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 1

Neuer flaps at the corner but he is protected by sheer weight of numbers as Kiwior tries to hack a bouncing ball off the floor towards goal but s thicket of black-socked shins get it away.

08:27 PM BST

25 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 1

Gnabry tracks Saka all the way to the byline and knocks the ball behind for an Arsenal corner on their right that Saka will take.

08:25 PM BST

22 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 1

Havertz flashes a header straight at Neuer.

08:22 PM BST

20 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 1

Don’t think Gabriel was at fault there. Raya made the wrong call.

08:19 PM BST

GOAL!

Arsenal 1 Bayern 1 (Gnabry) Misunderstanding between Raya and Gabriel dealing with a long ball. Kane hounds Gabriel who gives it to Sane as Kane tacked to the right, dragging Gabriel with him. Goretzka screaming for it is played in and he draws Saliba and then rolls it in behind for Gnabry to slot it past Raya. The goalkeeper was 20 yards outside his goal when that attack started and it ruined Gabriel’s options.

08:17 PM BST

14 min: Arsenal 1 Bayern 0

‘He seemed to pass it in,’ says Darren Fletcher. It was swept.

Ben White misses a glorious opportunity having been played in on the right of the box by Havertz’s lovely pass after he pounced on a Goretzka error. One-on-one with Neuer he had an attack of vertigo and thumped his shot straight into Neuer’s belly.

08:13 PM BST

GOAL!

Arsenal 1 Bayern Munich 0 (Saka)  Lovely pass from Ben White scooped down the right and Saka lets the ball drift across him, dribbles into the box then feeds a low shot into the bottom left corner, bending it beautifully.

08:12 PM BST

Dier’s fan club

An old school European maturity to the way Arsenal have set the pace early on, ball being played with care and patience

Of the many things about tonight’s game you might struggle to explain to someone visiting from five years ago I think you’ve got to say Eric Dier starting a Champions League quarter-final at centre-back for Bayern is the most bizarre. He looks the part for the opening seven minutes, not letting the Sloop John B chant get to him: “You’ll always be s— / you’ll always be s— / Eric Dier, you’ll always be s—”.

But when his first loose pass is seized by Saka the crowd scents Tottenham-flavoured blood, screaming their winger forward. Terrific noise in general, stadium chanting with such volume and speed the different ends are out of sync with one another. The yellow for Davies looked very marginal to me too Rob, even in real time.

08:11 PM BST

11 min: Arsenal 0 Bayern 0

Martinelli takes the ball out of play from Rice’s free-kick but the referee waves play on, wrongly and Tuchel goes spare. The ball does eventually go out (again) so n damage done.

08:10 PM BST

9 min: Arsenal 0 Bayern 0

Neuer continues to play it short from the back without putting any pace on the pass, almost allowing Arsenal in again but De Ligt gets rid. The ball goes up the left where Davies is penalised and booked for catching Saka’s heel. Seemed a bit harsh, given it rules him out of the second leg.

08:08 PM BST

7 min: Arsenal 0 Bayern 0

Bayern free-kick inside their own penalty area is rolled short to Davies who is mugged by Saka who takes the ball and shifts it quickly inside to Odegaard who tees it up for Martinelli to put his laces through a shot from 20 yards that he thrashes wide of the left post.

08:07 PM BST

Pre-match greetings

The boos you would expect for the names of Eric Dier (some) and Harry Kane (all) as the Bayern team is read out before kick-off. A muted flutter of applause for returning non-hero Serge Gnabry. Polyester flags are waved in the Clock End. I’m told fans have been encouraged to wear red tonight. For an Arsenal home game, imagine! Looks mildly more red than usual in the stands, I suppose. The odd regrettable dissident in this season’s radioactive away kit. Here comes the Louis Dunford dirge The Angel. Scarves aloft, phone cameras out. Teams emerging from the tunnel.

08:06 PM BST

5 min: Arsenal 0 Bayern 0

A heavy touch from Dier that goes out for a throw is greeted uproariously. He is loudly told that he is f------ s---. Charming.

08:05 PM BST

4 min: Arsenal 0 Bayern 0

Whistles greet Bayern who are enjoying a longish spell of possession with the wonderful Musiala to the fore, probing around the Arsenal penalty area.

08:03 PM BST

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

Is also underway at the Bernabéu. You can follow that match here.

08:02 PM BST

1 min: Arsenal 0 Bayern 0

Bayern play it back to Davies who chips a long diagonal towards the centre-circle. Saliba wins an aerial challenge and booms his header back into Bayern’s half where White is penalised. Bayern launch the free-kcik out for a goalkick.

08:00 PM BST

Bayern are in their huddle

Eric Dier drapes his arm across Harry Kane’s shoulder. Arsenal, in a huddle too, break and run into position.

07:58 PM BST

Out come the teams

Cue:

Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main event
Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Arsenal in their home strip, Bayern in black with purple trim.

07:53 PM BST

What’s red and red and read all over?

A very special programme this evening, it is entirely red. Please see attached photographic evidence (tragically thinning parody of a fringe: model’s own).

This is actually a novel way to cut down on paper, as the stadium announcer is asking for fans to hold up their programmes “at various points during the game, but especially when the teams come out,” presumably to create the world’s least interesting tifo display.

Ian Wright currently out on the pitch talking sense, as ever, about how supporters have waited for a night like this for a long time and should make the most of it.

07:45 PM BST

Arsenal’s Ashburton Army reach the ground

They’ve been marching towards the stadium, I know not why.

07:35 PM BST

Tonight’s referee Glenn Nyberg

Took Arsenal’s 2-1 away victory over Sevilla, booking Jorginho. He also reffed Bayern’s chaotic 4-3 victory over Manchester United, booking Leon Goretzka.

07:27 PM BST

A hot reception for Bayern

07:12 PM BST

Sedate so far

I am yet to encounter a single fan expressing any concerns about coming tonight, other than Dan from Bushey who is worried about Harry Kane scoring. Several had not heard about the alleged terror threat.

About 10 minutes ago some fireworks were let off in the distance, somewhere towards Gillespie Park. They were close enough to startle a few people when they started but there was none of the panic you might expect if this crowd was in any way edgy.

In fact, for a game of such stakes, it feels remarkably sedate at the moment. Blame the lack of away fans.

07:09 PM BST

Your teams in black and white

Arsenal  Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Substitutes  Ramsdale, Partey, Gabriel Jesus, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Tomiyasu, Trossard, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Hein, Zinchenko.

Bayern Munich Neuer; Kimmich, Dier, de Ligt, Davies; Goretzka, Laimer; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane.

Substitutes Ulreich, Upamecano, Kim, Coman, Choupo-Moting, Zaragoza, Peretz, Guerreiro, Muller, Tel, Mazraoui, Pavlovic.

Referee  Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)

07:04 PM BST

A chip on the shoulder

Harry Kane was released by Arsenal at the age of eight and, he says, that setback has proved to be a powerful motivating force in his career. In 2018, he said this:

“I remember the first time we played against Arsenal … and even back then, I had a chip on my shoulder. It might sound ridiculous – I was only eight when they let me go – but every time we played them, I thought, “Alright, we’ll see who’s right and who’s wrong.” Looking back on it now, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, because it gave me a drive that wasn’t there before.

“I dreamed of playing for Spurs since I was a boy. For a long time my motivation was simply to close my eyes and picture myself scoring against Arsenal in the Premier League. Done that a few times now, and it never gets old.”

06:55 PM BST

Kiwior and Martinelli start for Arsenal

The biggest selection headaches for Arteta were at left-back and left-wing. Oleksandr Zinchenko, fit again, has come back into the side in recent games but he drops to the bench tonight. Jakub Kiwior, who had been impressively solid at left-back before he was rotated last week, returns. He is a better defender than Zinchenko and is probably the safer choice.

On the left wing, meanwhile, Arteta has chosen to start Gabriel Martinelli instead of Gabriel Jesus. It’s Martinelli’s first start since he suffered a foot injury at the start of March. I would expect him to make way for Jesus at some point in the second half.

06:54 PM BST

Two changes for Arsenal we understand

Kiwior and Martinelli come into the side.

06:53 PM BST

Sane and Neuer return for Bayern

06:50 PM BST

Sam Dean has made his way inside

06:49 PM BST

As for Bayern ...

Just the identity of the wide forwards is in doubt now that Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane were passed fit after missing Saturday’s defeat. Manuel Neuer is back, too.

06:45 PM BST

Team news

In tonight’s other match, Real Madrid released their team sheet an hour ahead of the deadline. They normally go early in an act, affected or not, of insouciance.

No word from the Arsenal or Bayern camps yet. They have until 7pm to announce them.

I would have thought Arsenal’s line-up will be pretty straightforward with Kai Havertz as the false nine flanked by Martinelli and Saka with a midfield of Rice, Jorginho and Odegaard. The identity of the left-back, Kiwior or Zinchenko, is the only doubt I have.

06:42 PM BST

Our man on the Holloway Road

A few sniffer dogs milling around outside the stadium, one had a good check of my bag. The security guard on the other end of the lead tells me this is standard practice for every game. Again, he had received no specific instructions for beefed-up searches this evening but said there was generally more risk around European games than domestic ones. 

06:29 PM BST

Doesn’t look like an unusual police presence in N5/N7

06:24 PM BST

Meanwhile in Madrid

06:20 PM BST

No away fans

A reminder that, officially, there are no Bayern fans at the Emirates tonight. Uefa have banned travelling supporters from the first leg as punishment for throwing a flare on to the pitch at Allianz Arena during their victory over Lazio in the R16. Burned by the number of Cologne fans who bought tickets among home fans seven years ago and caused mayhem, forcing the kick-off back by an hour, Arsenal have issued a warning should any of their season ticket holders sell on their seat to an away fan.

“There is additional risk associated with this game, because Bayern Munich are not permitted an away allocation,” the club said. “Any season-ticket holder or Arsenal member’s seat found to be in possession of an away fan will be suspended indefinitely.”

06:07 PM BST

Herrs Indoors!

Come on! That’s a cracker!

06:02 PM BST

‘Normal matchday’

Plenty milling around outside the Emirates already with no palpable fear, in light of the alleged terror threat. Club shop aka The Armoury is pumping out the Champions League theme.

There is a police presence but no more than you would expect for a game of this stature. One officer told me that no special plans had been communicated to him, nor extra numbers drafted in to his knowledge and it was being treated as a normal matchday.

04:31 PM BST

Having a wager?

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04:30 PM BST

Preview: Remain vigilant

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. All four of the matches in this competition, today and tomorrow, have been the subject of a terrorist threat made on social media, purportedly on behalf of Islamic State. The four games, at the Emirates, Bernabéu and tomorrow at Parc des Princes and Metropolitano, are going ahead.

It would not be the first time that a football stadium and crowd have been targeted, the suicide bombers at Stade de France on Nov 13, 2015 were the first of a series of coordinated attacks on Paris and a match against Germany and Netherlands in Hannover was called off four days later after a tip-off. A Metropolitan Police statement said today that the force has been working closely with Counter Terrorism Police while planning for the match.

“We’re aware of online and media reports in relation to calls to target matches across Europe and here in London,” the police said. “However, I want to reassure the public that we have a robust policing plan in place for tonight’s match and we continue to work closely alongside the club’s security team to ensure that the match passes peacefully. As ever, we ask the public to remain vigilant, and if they see any that doesn’t look or feel right, then report it to police or security staff.”

By contrast, as Phil Bull, the founder of Timeform famously put it, sport is our “magnificent triviality”. But if all goes well as we hope and the threats mercifully turn out to be empty, we are here to report on a football match, a fourth meeting in the knockout stages of the Champions League, all ties won by Bayern. Arsenal, however, are in far sharper shape than they were in 2013. 2014 and 2017, top of the league and in pole position to win their first title for 20 years.

Yes, they needed penalties to scrape past Porto in the Round of 16 but everyone bar Jurrien Timber is fit and they take on a Bayern side who were awful in Rome in the R16, have lost their last two in the league and have already announced that missing out on a 12th successive Bundesliga title will cost Thomas Tuchel his job. Their defence is uncharacteristically shaky, the midfield isn’t functioning and the side looks less than the sum of its parts but they do have Harry Kane  who has scored 38 goals in 37 appearances. He also has, as Arsenal fans know only too well, scored 14 goals in North London derbies in 19 appearances. Bayern may be sickly, but they still have sharp teeth.

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