Arsenal's lead didn't last long. If there was one thing Bayer Leverkusen had proved last season, it was their resilience.
Even after going behind, they never panicked.
Xabi Alonso's men stuck to their principles, moving the ball with precision and waiting for the right moments to strike.
And they found that moment in the 27th minute.
The ball was at Granit Xhaka's feet—familiar territory for Arsenal fans. Once a captain at the club, he had reinvented himself under Alonso, becoming a midfield metronome.
Now, facing his old team, he played as if he had something to prove.
Rice pressed him aggressively, trying to shut him down, but Xhaka was calm under pressure.
With a quick turn and a well-placed body feint, he shrugged off the challenge, using his arm to shield the ball before spraying a perfectly weighted pass out wide to Jeremie Frimpong.
It was a signal.
