25' · Arsenal Eze 0–1 Ødegaard's lofted pass; given after a VAR check | 35' · Bayern Davies 1–1 Kane's pass in behind, finished with his right foot | 61' · Bayern Kane 2–1 Penalty, after Timber's arm blocked his shot | 82' · Arsenal Rice 2–2 Gyökeres's first-time lay-off |
|
| 01 The Big Take |
| On paper this is a good result. That's what makes it so frustrating. |
| Bayern were missing their top scorer and their midfield organiser. They went behind to the only side that hadn't conceded in this season's competition. Then they scored twice in 26 minutes and were 2–1 up with eight minutes left. |
| Then Madueke found Gyökeres in the middle, Gyökeres laid it off first time, and Rice had space on the right of the box to shoot low past Neuer. Spox's live ticker described Bayern as "a bit too passive" in that spell (our translation). |
| In Stavanger, Bayern led 3–2 and conceded in the 90th minute. Tonight they led 2–1 and conceded in the 82nd. Two games, two leads, two points instead of six. |
| Five points from three games. Hold both leads and it would have been nine. |
|
| No post-match quotes from the coaches or players had been published when we wrote this. Kompany was unwell before the game, and we couldn't confirm who led the team from the touchline. |
| 02 The Tactical Take |
| How Bayern won it back, and let it go |
| Davies on the wing, and the ball in behind |
| The line-up surprised everyone. Díaz, fresh from a hat-trick, started on the bench; according to Spox's ticker, Kompany said he wasn't fully fit. Davies moved up to left wing, with Stanišić at left-back and Laimer on the right. |
| It paid off on 35 minutes. Kane played the ball into the space behind Arsenal's defence, and Davies slid it past Raya with his weaker right foot. Our preview said the space Kane found against Leipzig would be harder to find tonight. He found it once, and once was enough. |
| Arsenal's goal came from the space we feared |
| Eze's opener came from Ødegaard's lofted pass over the top, finished with his left foot into the far corner. It was flagged offside, then given after a VAR check: Stanišić had played him on. Eze was only on the pitch because Saka had gone off injured, with no contact, early in the game. |
| Neuer, and the goal line |
| Neuer was back in goal, and the minutes before the penalty mattered. On 48 he made a save before Guimarães headed against the crossbar. On 54 Eze got past him, and Stanišić cleared off the line. Bayern were close to going 2–1 down before they went 2–1 up. In stoppage time Neuer also tipped Timber's long-range shot over the bar. |
| The penalty itself was clear: Timber slid in and blocked Kane's close-range shot with an outstretched arm. Kane put it into the top corner. |
| The last 20 minutes |
| Both coaches made changes on 69 minutes. Bayern brought on Karl and Díaz for Gnabry and Saibari. Arsenal brought on Lewis-Skelly and Gyökeres for Guimarães and Havertz. Arsenal's changes made the equaliser. Bayern's best chance after theirs was Díaz's shot on 76, straight at Raya. Then Díaz went off in stoppage time with what Spox described as a muscle problem. |
| Goal times differ slightly between sources (Eze 25' or 26', Davies 35' or 38'). We've used the times most reports give. Shot and possession figures differ too much between sources to print. |
| 03 The Numbers |
2 of 2 Champions League leads Bayern haven't held in their last two games. 3–2 up in Stavanger, 2–1 up tonight. |
|
5 Points from three Champions League games. A 5–0 win, then two draws. |
|
2 Goals Arsenal conceded tonight. They arrived with none conceded in the competition. |
|
82' When Rice's equaliser went in. In Stavanger, Viking's came in the 90th minute. |
|
| 04 Our Preview, Marked |
Holding ourselves to account What we got right, and what we got wrong Right "The space behind." Arsenal's opener was a ball over the top. "Kane between Rice and Guimarães." He found the pass in behind for Davies. "A midfield without Kimmich." Bischof started alongside Pavlović, as kicker expected. Kim started too, then came off at half-time for Tah. Wrong We called set pieces "the real danger". Arsenal's goals came from a ball over the top and a move through the middle. We also expected Karl on the right. Gnabry started there, Díaz was on the bench, and Davies moved up to the wing. Not tested Karl against Arsenal's left-back. He only came on at 69 minutes. |
|
| 05 The Counterargument |
| Maybe a draw with Arsenal is a decent night |
| — Look who was missing. No Olise, no Kimmich, no Musiala, and a manager who was ill before the game. Bayern still came from behind against the champions of England. |
| — Arsenal are very good. They lost Saka early, scored twice anyway, and had chances to win it. Not many teams will take a point off them this season. |
| — There's time. The league phase has eight games. Five points from three, with a goal difference of +5, leaves Bayern well placed to make up ground. |
| 06 What It Means |
| Three things to carry into Freiburg |
1 | Díaz's fitness. He came off in stoppage time with a muscle problem, three days before Bayern go to third-placed Freiburg. |
|
2 | Kim, and Kompany. Kim came off at half-time; we don't yet know why. And Kompany's health is still a question. |
|
3 | Closing games out. Next in Europe is Atlético Madrid away on 3 November. Bayern can't keep giving leads away against teams like that. |
|
| The Champions League table hadn't been updated when we wrote this, so we haven't printed Bayern's position. |
The B90 Question Two Champions League games, two late equalisers. Bad luck, or a problem with how Bayern close games out? Tell us on X @Beyond90Bayern. We'll pick up the best answers in the Freiburg preview. |
|
Next: SC Freiburg v Bayern
Bundesliga · Matchday 7 · Sun 25 Oct · 16:30 UK
Freiburg are third |
| Sources: Spox: live ticker, goals, chances and substitutions · Fussballnationalmannschaft.net: result, VAR and penalty · WhoScored: confirmed line-ups · t-online: match report · VAVEL: live updates · Results and table: GoalIQ |
BEYOND 90 Bayern Munich, beyond the scoreline. Tactical insight. Honest analysis. Opinions you won't get from the usual coverage. An independent publication. Not affiliated with or endorsed by FC Bayern München. |
