Emirates Stadium hosted a UEFA Champions League 1/8 final second leg that finished 2-0 to Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen, with the match completed in regular time under referee D. Makkelie.
Context and stakes
Arsenal came into this tie as the competition’s form side. They sit 1st in the Champions League standings with 24 points, a perfect record of 8 wins from 8, and a goal difference of +19 overall this season. Bayer Leverkusen arrived as the 16th-ranked side with 12 points, having advanced from the 1/16 final route and carrying a more mixed profile: 3 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses in the standings phase, and a -1 goal difference.
Kick-off was at 20:00 UTC, and by half-time the score was 1-0 to Arsenal; it finished 2-0 after 90 minutes, with no extra time or penalties required.
Squad structures and tactical shapes
Arsenal: 4-2-3-1 base, depth in attack
Arsenal lined up in a 4-2-3-1, one of their two most-used shapes overall this season (4-3-3 has been used 7 times, 4-2-3-1 3 times).
Starters
- Goalkeeper: David Raya (1)
- Back four: Ben White (RB, 4), William Saliba (RCB, 2), Gabriel Magalhães (LCB, 6), Piero Hincapié (LB, 5)
- Double pivot: Martín Zubimendi (36), Declan Rice (41)
- Three behind the striker: Bukayo Saka (right), Eberechi Eze (central), Leandro Trossard (left)
- Centre-forward: Viktor Gyökeres (14)
This structure fits their overall-season identity: 26 goals scored and only 5 conceded in 10 Champions League matches, with an average of 2.6 goals for and 0.5 against. They have 9 wins and 1 draw overall this season, with no defeats and 6 clean sheets, underlining how stable this core XI is.
The double pivot of Zubimendi–Rice sits in front of an almost untouched back four. Arsenal’s biggest win this season has been 4-0 at home, and they regularly control matches: they have never failed to score in the competition and have scored in every home and away game.
Bench options
- Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Khari Ranson
- Defenders: Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Riccardo Calafiori
- Midfielders: Christian Nørgaard, Max Dowman
- Forwards: Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus
The presence of Gabriel Martinelli (the club’s and competition’s top scorer for Arsenal in this data set) and Havertz/Jesus gives Arsenal the ability to change the profile of the attack without breaking the 4-2-3-1 structure. Overall this season, Arsenal have also been perfect from the spot: 2 penalties taken, 2 scored, 0 missed.
Bayer Leverkusen: 3-4-2-1 with a high-risk back line
Bayer Leverkusen used their default 3-4-2-1, which they have deployed 11 times overall this Champions League season (with one outing in 5-3-2).
Starters
- Goalkeeper: Janis Blaswich (28)
- Back three: Jarell Quansah (right), Robert Andrich (central), Edmond Tapsoba (left)
- Midfield four: Ernest Poku (RWB), Exequiel Palacios (RCM), Aleix García (LCM), Alejandro Grimaldo (LWB)
- Two attacking midfielders: Martin Terrier, Ibrahim Maza
- Centre-forward: Christian Kofane (35)
Leverkusen’s season profile is far more volatile than Arsenal’s: 16 goals scored and 17 conceded overall this season in the Champions League, with 4 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses. Their average of 1.3 goals scored and 1.4 conceded per match reflects a side that can threaten going forward but leaves space in behind, especially at home where they have conceded 11 in 6 matches (including a 2-7 defeat as their worst result).
Away from home they have been more controlled defensively (6 conceded in 6), but the back three plus advanced wing-backs still invites pressure against elite attacking units like Arsenal’s.
Bench options
- Goalkeepers: Jonas Omlin, Niklas Lomb
- Defenders: Tim Oermann, Axel Tape
- Midfielders: Malik Tillman, Montrell Culbreath, Ezequiel Fernández, Jonas Hofmann
- Forward: Patrik Schick
The bench has experience (Schick, Hofmann) and some flexibility in midfield, but the defensive depth is thinner in terms of proven Champions League minutes compared with Arsenal’s options.
Overall-season statistical profiles
Arsenal overall this season (Champions League)
- Matches: 10 (5 home, 5 away)
- Record: 9 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses
- Goals for: 26 (14 home, 12 away)
- Goals against: 5 (3 home, 2 away)
- Average goals for: 2.6 per match
- Average goals against: 0.5 per match
- Clean sheets: 6
- Failed to score: 0
- Best wins: 4-0 at home, 3-0 away
- Penalties: 2 total, 2 scored, 0 missed (100% accuracy, 2 successful penalties)
- Discipline: 4 yellow cards for Martín Zubimendi (top yellow-card holder), no reds recorded in the team’s season card distribution
Defensively, conceding only 5 goals in 10 matches is elite; their GA is significantly better than Leverkusen’s. The goals-against profile (0.6 per home game, 0.4 away) shows that the back four plus double pivot is one of the best defensive units in the competition.
Bayer Leverkusen overall this season (Champions League)
- Matches: 12 (6 home, 6 away)
- Record: 4 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses
- Goals for: 16 (9 home, 7 away)
- Goals against: 17 (11 home, 6 away)
- Average goals for: 1.3 per match
- Average goals against: 1.4 per match
- Clean sheets: 5
- Failed to score: 3
- Best wins: 3-0 at home, 2-0 away
- Worst defeats: 2-7 at home, 0-2 away
- Penalties: 1 total, 1 scored, 0 missed (1 successful penalty)
- Discipline: one player (Robert Andrich) stands out with 1 red card and 1 yellow in the individual red-card ranking; team card distribution includes one red in the 31-45 minute range
Compared to Arsenal, Leverkusen’s defence is clearly weaker (17 conceded vs 5), and their attack is less prolific (16 vs 26). Their away defensive numbers are more respectable, but the overall GA tells the story: Arsenal have the better defence.
Absentees and “Battle 3 – The Void”
Arsenal missing
- M. Merino – Leg injury (Missing Fixture)
- M. Odegaard – Knee injury (Missing Fixture)
- J. Timber – Injury (Missing Fixture)
Odegaard’s absence is the most significant in creative terms. As a natural No. 10, he would usually anchor the central attacking-midfield role. In this match, Eberechi Eze started in that zone. This is the core of “Battle 3 – The Void”: Odegaard’s usual output (chance creation, pressing, late runs) had to be replaced by Eze’s dribbling and ball-carrying threat.
Given Arsenal’s overall-season numbers have stayed outstanding despite these absences, the replacements have maintained the level: the team still averages 2.6 goals per game and has not lost.
Bayer Leverkusen missing
- Arthur – Ankle injury
- L. Bade – Muscle injury
- E. Ben Seghir – Ankle injury
- M. Flekken – Knee injury
- Lucas – Calf injury
- N. Tella – Inactive
- I. Traore – Inactive
For Leverkusen, the void is more diffuse: several defensive and attacking rotation pieces are unavailable. The most tangible effect is on squad depth and in-game flexibility. With Flekken out, Janis Blaswich continues in goal; with multiple wide/attacking options missing (Tella, Ben Seghir, Traore), the responsibility on Martin Terrier, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane increases.
Compared with Arsenal’s like-for-like depth, Leverkusen’s replacements are less proven at this level, which matters over 90 minutes away from home.
Key individual battles (Matchup Engine)
Battle 1: Top scorer vs opponent GA
The only top-scorer entry in the data set is:
- Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
- 6 goals, 1 assist in 9 appearances
- 15 shots, 7 on target
- 128 passes (81% accuracy), 14 key passes
- 31 dribbles attempted, 16 successful
- Rating: 7.36
Even though Martinelli did not start, he is Arsenal’s top scorer in this competition. He is attacking a Leverkusen defence that has conceded 17 goals overall this season in the Champions League, with an average of 1.4 goals against per match. That GA profile is significantly weaker than Arsenal’s, and Leverkusen’s worst defensive outing (2-7) underlines their vulnerability when pressed and stretched.
In practical terms, this means that if Martinelli comes off the bench, he faces a back line that concedes often and heavily under sustained pressure. Arsenal’s attack already produced 26 goals overall this season; adding their top scorer against a defence with a negative goal difference tilts the attacking edge further towards Arsenal.
Battle 2: Playmaker vs Enforcer
With no separate top-assists list, we look at the best available creator and the primary enforcer.
Playmaker – Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal)
- 457 passes overall this season, 86% accuracy
- 13 key passes
- 2 assists
- 70 duels, 33 won
- 8 tackles, 4 blocks, 7 interceptions
- 4 yellow cards
Zubimendi is both a deep-lying playmaker and a defensive screen. His 2 assists and 13 key passes from a holding role show how he progresses the ball into advanced zones, while his card count (4 yellows) confirms he also handles the dirty work in midfield.
Enforcer – Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen)
- 495 passes, 88% accuracy
- 1 goal
- 5 shots (2 on target)
- 2 tackles, 3 blocks, 11 interceptions
- 7 fouls committed, 1 yellow, 1 red
Andrich is Leverkusen’s main enforcer, already sent off once in this Champions League campaign. His 11 interceptions and 3 blocks show good reading of the game, but the red card indicates that under pressure he can overstep and leave his team a man down.
In this battle, Zubimendi’s role is to dictate tempo and break Leverkusen’s first line of pressure, while Andrich must disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm without repeating his red-card history. The statistical edge leans towards Zubimendi: more creative output (2 assists vs 0), similar passing volume with high accuracy, and a team structure that protects him better than Leverkusen protect Andrich.
Battle 3 – The Void: Missing stars vs replacements
For Arsenal, the void is created by M. Odegaard’s absence. Eberechi Eze occupies the central attacking midfield slot. While we do not have Eze’s individual season stats in this data set, Arsenal’s overall attacking output (26 goals, 0 matches without scoring) suggests that the creative vacuum has been effectively filled by a combination of Eze, Trossard, Saka and the centre-forward.
For Leverkusen, multiple absences (Arthur, Bade, Ben Seghir, Tella, Traore) reduce rotation and late-game impact. The reliance on Martin Terrier, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane to carry the attacking load is more pronounced, and the bench (Schick, Hofmann) must compensate for the missing pace and width. Given Leverkusen’s lower goals-per-game rate (1.3) and higher GA (1.4), their replacements have not been able to lift the overall level to Arsenal’s standard.
Discipline and control
Arsenal’s card distribution overall this season shows yellow cards spread across phases of the game, with no reds recorded. They do accumulate yellows between 61-75 minutes (7 yellows, 33.33% of their total), which points to a more aggressive phase as they protect leads.
Leverkusen, by contrast, have a red card recorded in the 31-45 minute range and a heavy yellow-card concentration between 46-60 minutes (7 yellows, 38.89%). This suggests that when they return from half-time, their intensity can boil over, especially if they are chasing the game.
In a knockout 1/8 final away to a side as efficient as Arsenal, that disciplinary profile is risky: one mis-timed challenge from Andrich or a defender could tilt the tie decisively.
Match narrative frame (within the data limits)
The match finished 2-0 to Arsenal, with the score 1-0 at half-time. There is no extra-time or penalty shootout data, so the 2-0 reflects the full 90 minutes. Given Arsenal’s season-long defensive record (0.5 goals conceded per game and 6 clean sheets), another shutout at Emirates Stadium fits their pattern: they are extremely hard to break down at home (3 GA in 5 home matches overall this season) and maintain control once ahead.
Leverkusen, whose season numbers include 17 goals conceded and three matches without scoring, again found it difficult to penetrate a top-level defensive structure away from home.
Verdict: Statistical edge and squad outlook
- Defensive edge: Clearly Arsenal. 5 goals conceded in 10 matches vs Leverkusen’s 17 in 12. More clean sheets (6 vs 5) despite fewer games played.
- Attacking edge: Arsenal again. 26 goals vs 16, with a higher goals-per-game rate (2.6 vs 1.3) and no games without scoring.
- Squad depth: Arsenal have more high-impact options in reserve (Martinelli, Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Madueke), allowing them to change the game state from the bench. Leverkusen’s bench is competent but less stacked with proven scorers at this level.
- Key individual battles: Gabriel Martinelli vs Leverkusen’s fragile GA, Zubimendi vs Andrich in midfield control, and the replacement of Odegaard by Eze all tilt in Arsenal’s favour.
Overall, the statistical and squad analysis explains why Arsenal, ranked 1st in the competition standings and unbeaten overall this season, were able to manage this 1/8 final at Emirates Stadium with authority, securing a 2-0 win against a Leverkusen side that, while dangerous in moments, lacks the same balance between attack, defence and depth.
