Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal: 5 things we learned from tense and testing Champions League draw in Madrid | OneFootball

Arsenal fought to a draw against Atletico Madrid this evening to give themselves a narrow advantage in their Champions League semi-final tie ahead of next week’s second leg.

A first-half penalty from Viktor Gyokeres was cancelled out by Julian Alvarez’s second-half spot-kick, and the game ended level after a series of saves from David Raya, a superb block from Gabriel and a contentious decision to overturn a penalty after a challenge on Eberechi Eze in the box.

While Atletico threatened at times after their equaliser, Arsenal controlled large periods of the game at the Metropolitano, and the result means the Gunners go into next week’s second leg as slight favourites as they look to book a place in a first Champions League final since 2006.

Here’s what we learned as the Gunners earned a hard-fought draw at the Metropolitano.

Gunners’ defence makes them tricky opponents

The aftermath of PSG’s 5-4 win over Bayern Munich was marked in part by Clarence Seedorf criticising the defending from both sides, with the Dutchman also explaining that Arsenal’s defensive capabilities mean the Gunners are “capable of bringing it home”.

The defensive aspect of Arsenal’s performance was once again commendable for the most part, with Gabriel and William Saliba producing solid displays alongside Piero Hincapie. Ben White’s mistake will capture the headlines after the England international conceded a controversial penalty, but overall it was the Gunners’ defensive capabilities – and how it allows them to control games - that stood out at the Metropolitano.

Gyokeres proves worth on biggest stage...

It’s been a difficult first season at the Emirates for summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. Despite the Gunners mounting a title challenge and going deep in Europe, the Sweden international has come under criticism in some quarters for a lack of goals and some disjointed play in general. He has struggled for consistency, and was benched for the Gunners’ last two games before an injury to Kai Havertz meant he returned to the starting XI at the Metropolitano.

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Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring from the spot after winning a penalty in the first half (Getty)

In the end it was a change that paid off for the Gunners, with Gyokeres producing perhaps his best 45 minutes in an Arsenal shirt (at least according to Martin Keown on TNT Sports).

The striker linked up well with his teammates and did well to win the penalty for the opening goal, getting his body in between David Hancko and the goal to give the referee no doubts.

Gyokeres then stepped up and rifled in a low penalty with enough power to beat Jan Oblak, who had dived the right way. It was the exact sort of performance you need from your centre-forward in a difficult European away tie.

...but Julian Alvarez shows why he’s a target

The build-up to the match included an interesting admission from Atleti manager Diego Simeone, who said that Arsenal were interested in signing Julian Alvarez this summer.

And Alvarez showed exactly why he might be a target for Arsenal at the Metropolitano, whipping a free-kick close from range before scoring his side’s equaliser from the spot.

The Argentina international is a standout option in a striker market that does not contain too many viable and high-quality options, and with the well-documented struggles of Gyokeres it could be a move that makes sense for the Gunners if they can afford it.

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Alvarez scored the equaliser but was then forced off due to injury (Reuters)

VAR use causes controversy again

Despite an entertaining game in the Spanish capital, VAR will once again dominate the headlines after some controversial penalty decisions. While the challenge on Gyokeres was an obvious penalty, Ben White’s handball is more of a grey area, while the decision to overturn the penalty for the challenge on Ebere Eze is the most controversial.

Both decisions were criticised by Steven Gerrard and Steve McManaman on TNT Sports, while Mikel Arteta called the Eze incident “clear contact” and “the wrong decision”. Arteta called it “the one that changes everything” and added that “it cannot happen at this level”, and it could well end up being a pivotal moment in this tie. Once again, the use and application of VAR has been called into question on the biggest stage.

Emirates advantage should be key

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Atletico’s players and manager crowded the referee when he was making key decisions, with Steve McManaman calling the conduct ‘atrocious’ (Reuters)

Atletico’s home advantage seemed key in both penalty decisions, with the home side and Diego Simeone clearly doing all they could to influence referee Danny Makkelie. It goes without saying that the players and manager won’t have the same influence next week at the Emirates, and the same type of ‘injustice’ likely won’t happen again.

The Gunners need to make sure that they put in a solid home performance, but they’ve proven they can deal with Atletico and they will rightfully be favourites ahead of Tuesday’s game. In the end, home advantage and a raucous Emirates could hold the key in giving the Gunners that final 10 per cent to make it to the final.