'We weren't ready' - Mikel Arteta slams Arsenal players for 'lack of urgency' as Bayer Leverkusen give Gunners a taste of their own medicine with set-piece goal

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Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration after Arsenal were beaten at their own game during a 1-1 Champions League draw with Bayer Leverkusen. The manager lamented his team's lack of urgency and attention as they conceded from a set-piece, a tactic the Gunners usually dominate. However, a late Kai Havertz penalty ensured the last-16 tie remains finely balanced ahead of the return leg.

Arteta rues costly defensive lapse

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Arteta voiced his frustration after Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. The visitors saw Robert Andrich score from a corner shortly after half-time, prompting the manager to highlight his side's costly lack of attention - the exact weakness his side are renowned for preying on in set-piece situations.

Focusing on the defensive lapse, he pulled no punches regarding the preparation. "There are always two sides to that. One is the element of the opponent that they picked that weakness, and that lack of attention or urgency in both situations, and the other one is us, because we knew, we showed them three clips from last weekend in three different ways, and we weren't ready for it, and we got caught."

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg

Havertz makes an emotional return

Despite struggling for large periods of the second half, the away side found a lifeline through Havertz against his former employers. The German attacker stepped up to confidently convert a late penalty won by substitute Noni Madueke, ensuring everything is left to play for when the teams meet again in north London next week.

The manager was delighted with the forward's composure on a special night. "Yes, how composed he took and yes, football is a funny game and it brings special stories and him coming back here after such a long time, being part of this club, to come here and score such an important goal, I think it's a big moment," Arteta noted, before adding: "I liked that emotionally, we understood what we had to do."

Saka substituted for dynamic threat

Eyebrows were raised when Bukayo Saka was substituted while the team was chasing an equaliser, but the bold tactical tweak paid dividends when Madueke won the decisive spot-kick. The manager defended the change, insisting that a different type of attacking threat was required to break down Leverkusen's resolute defensive block in the closing stages.

Explaining the rationale behind the substitution, Arteta praised the winger's immediate impact. "I thought that we needed something else and Noni has been contributing and being a real threat and I decided to make the change," he explained. "No surprise at all because that's his biggest quality. He's very brave at doing that and Noni is a real threat. To have a player with that ability when you need him and to step in in the manner that he did, big credit to him."

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg

Missing the creative spark

Throughout the first half, the English side dominated possession but struggled to find the clinical final ball. Arteta admitted that his attacking players must drastically improve their efficiency to progress as he highlighted the absence of captain Martin Odegaard. 

"Martin has different qualities, but we have players with a lot of talent. The execution of a lot of actions obviously has to be at another level," he concluded. "You want to create much more threat in and around the box, and today, on many occasions, it wasn't. It's part of football. You have to react after that, and especially since it's something that we did after regaining the ball, we allowed too much space."