Mikel Arteta has admitted that he was so impressed by Kai Havertz’s composure to take and score a penalty to rescue a draw for Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen.
The German international came off the bench to score a 89th-minute penalty to salvage a draw heading into the second leg.
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Havertz refused to celebrate the goal against his former club, where he made 150 appearances as a player.
Speaking after the match, Arteta hailed the 26-year-old and thought it was a great storyline for him to score against his former club.
Mikel Arteta hails Kai Havertz’s composure
Mikel Arteta has hailed Kai Havertz’s composure to score a crucial equaliser for Arsenal in the latter stages against Bayer Leverkusen.
The former Leverkusen attacker came off the bench to replace Eberechi Eze and took the responsibility of taking the penalty kick won by Noni Madueke.
Havertz’s campaign has been plagued by injuries, so it was a great moment to see the attacker find the back of the net in such a key game
When asked about the German scoring against his former club, Arteta told TNT Sports: “That’s it, football has funny and nice stories as well.
“I thought it was impressive how he took the penalty, how composed he was, and obviously it was a big goal for us.”
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It was quite interesting to see Havertz replace Eze instead of Gyokeres, and it shows that he now offers Arteta a new option in the number ten role.
Eze and Martin Odegaard have struggled to make a big impact in the ten this season, and now Havertz could make himself the main man in that role.
Another player who impressed Arteta on the night was the man who won the spot kick, Madueke, and the manager praised his impact.
“Yeah, he was really good. Straight away, he changed the dynamic, the rhythm, the threat, and he had a big impact on the result,” Arteta added.
Kai Havertz is still not 100% fit for Arsenal
It’s clear that Havertz is still not 100 per cent fit for Arsenal as the attacker was spotted with an ice pack on his knee whilst sitting on the bench.
During the game, Lucy Ward said on TNT Sports commentary: “He did have something on his knee when he was on the bench, and it was showed him at the start. So I’m not sure.”
Havertz has been struggling with a knee issue recently, which is why he has been unable to start matches.
The Gunners will be desperate to have the German back soon to start games as he came off the bench to prove his importance.
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