Bayern 2-2 Arsenal Player Ratings: Rice and Kane Star

Bayern Munich drew 2-2 with Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday 21 October in the Champions League league phase, with Declan Rice scoring an 82nd-minute equaliser after Harry Kane had put Bayern ahead from the penalty spot. Eberechi Eze gave Arsenal the lead in the 25th minute after replacing the injured Bukayo Saka, and Alphonso Davies levelled ten minutes later.

Arsenal stay unbeaten with seven points from three games, while Bayern have five. How the game turned Arsenal lost Saka after ten minutes. He went down holding his upper leg while making a routine pass, signalled straight to the bench and was replaced by Eze.

It could have stalled the visitors, but Eze scored the opener instead. Martin Odegaard lifted a pass across the Bayern defence in the 25th minute, Eze ran on to it and finished past Manuel Neuer, with the goal given after a check overturned the initial offside decision. Bayern levelled in the 35th minute through a move that started with Kane.

He dropped deep, turned and played a through ball for Davies, who was playing high on the left, and Davies finished past David Raya. Kane then put Bayern ahead in the 61st minute. His shot struck Jurrien Timber’s arm inside the box, he took the penalty himself and scored.

It was his 16th goal in 23 games against Arsenal and his tenth straight Champions League game with a goal, one short of the record held by Cristiano Ronaldo. Arsenal did not settle for the defeat. Viktor Gyokeres, on for Kai Havertz, held the ball up and laid it into Rice’s path in the 82nd minute, and Rice drove a low finish into the bottom corner past Neuer.

Timber nearly won it in added time, but Neuer saved. The shot count finished 13 to 14 and shots on target were five each, which reflected a game neither side controlled for long. Bayern played without Michael Olise, who was suspended, and without Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala.

Vincent Kompany still had enough in midfield to compete, because Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlovic held their own against a strong Arsenal three. For Mikel Arteta, the concern is Saka. Arsenal play Everton at home in the Premier League on Saturday 24 October, and his absence would leave a clear hole on the right side.

The way both sides protected themselves after scoring is a good example of the idea covered in our explainer on rest defence . Manuel Neuer: 7/10. Beaten by two well-placed finishes, but he kept Bayern level late on with a strong save from Timber and earlier denied Bruno Guimaraes with a close-range stop from a header.

Konrad Laimer: 6/10. Eze’s run for the opener came from his side and caught him cold. He recovered to a steady second half without offering much going forward.

Dayot Upamecano: 7/10. Sound defensively for most of the night and went close himself with a header that Raya saved well. Kim Min-jae: 6/10.

Rarely stretched in the first half and was replaced at half-time by Jonathan Tah as Kompany changed the back line. Josip Stanisic: 6/10. Coped reasonably with Noni Madueke after Madueke switched sides, though his deep position helped keep Eze onside for the first goal.

Tom Bischof: 7/10. Robust in the centre against Rice and Guimaraes and tidy in possession. A mature display at 21.

Aleksandar Pavlovic: 7/10. Matched Bischof for work rate and distribution. Bayern’s young double pivot did not look out of place against senior internationals.

Serge Gnabry: 6/10. Had an early shot saved by Raya in the 21st minute, then found little space against Riccardo Calafiori and was taken off in the 68th minute. Ismael Saibari: 6/10.

Neat in small spaces and put one effort into the side netting, but he did not create a clear chance before making way in the 68th minute. Alphonso Davies: 8/10. Scored the equaliser with a forward’s finish in the 35th minute and used his pace to trouble Timber throughout, playing in an advanced left-sided role.

Harry Kane: 9/10. Created the first Bayern goal with the pass for Davies, won the penalty when his shot was handled and converted it in the 61st minute. He dropped deep, linked play and led the line in the same performance.

Substitutes: Jonathan Tah (46 minutes): 6/10. Made important interventions after replacing Kim without being stretched. Luis Diaz (68 minutes): 6/10.

Came on for Saibari but had to go off himself in the final minutes. Lennart Karl (68 minutes): 6/10. Worked hard after replacing Gnabry without creating a clear opening.

Arsenal player ratings David Raya: 7/10. Saved well from Gnabry early and from Upamecano’s header after the break. He had no chance with either Bayern goal.

Jurrien Timber: 5/10. Davies got away from him for the equaliser and his handball gave away the penalty Kane scored. He nearly made amends in added time, when Neuer saved his effort.

Ezri Konsa: 6/10. Found Kane’s movement difficult to track when the striker dropped between the lines, but he competed well in direct duels and was booked in the 39th minute. Gabriel Magalhaes: 7/10.

Made a series of clearances and blocks as Bayern pressed in the second half and held the line together after the penalty. Riccardo Calafiori: 7/10. Kept Gnabry quiet for long spells and offered width when Arsenal could get out.

His attacking contribution was limited by Bayern’s pressure. Martin Odegaard: 8/10. Played the pass that created Eze’s goal and was at the centre of Arsenal’s best passing moves before he was replaced by Mikel Merino in the 85th minute.

Bruno Guimaraes: 7/10. Combative in midfield, kept possession moving and brought a good save from Neuer with a header before he went off in the 69th minute. Declan Rice: 9/10.

Covered ground in both directions all night and scored the equaliser in the 82nd minute with a low finish from Gyokeres’s lay-off. Arsenal’s most complete performer. Bukayo Saka: 6/10.

His night ended after ten minutes with an upper-leg injury. He had too little time on the pitch to influence the game, and his fitness is now Arsenal’s main worry from the match. Kai Havertz: 6/10.

A quiet game in Germany, with a booking in the 13th minute and little service in the box. He was replaced by Gyokeres in the 69th minute. Noni Madueke: 7/10.

Switched to the right after Saka went off, carried the ball out under pressure and played his part in the build-up to the equaliser. Substitutes: Eberechi Eze (10 minutes): 8/10. Scored the opening goal 15 minutes after coming on and gave Arsenal a direct threat Bayern had not planned for.

Viktor Gyokeres (69 minutes): 7/10. His hold-up play and lay-off created Rice’s equaliser, exactly the centre-forward contribution Arteta needed from the bench. Myles Lewis-Skelly (69 minutes): 6/10.

A steady cameo in midfield after replacing Guimaraes. What it means Arsenal have seven points from three league-phase games and remain unbeaten, in seventh place on the figures reported after the match. Bayern have five points from three.

Both sides return to league action this weekend, with Bayern at Freiburg on Sunday 25 October, the game covered in Kompany’s predicted lineup piece , and Arsenal at home to Everton on Saturday. For a comparison with the week’s other big ratings night, see our Real Madrid 4-1 RB Leipzig player ratings .

Arsenal’s next Champions League game is away to Slavia Prague on Wednesday 4 November, while Bayern travel to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday 3 November. Omar Haddad writes about Premier League football for The False 9 — tactical analysis, data-driven features and the global game.