Arsenal drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in a fascinating Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie at the Emirates Stadium.
Although Mikel Arteta’s side were not at their best defensively, they did impress in attack in flashes, but this was still a far cry from other recent performances in which they have been rampant going forward.
Nevertheless, Bukayo Saka put in a strong performance on the right wing. He opened the scoring with an outstanding finish early on, and constantly threatened on the right-hand side.
His dribbling caused nightmares for Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies. The Canadian International is renowned for his speed, but even he struggled to deal with the England star, and he picked up a yellow card which means he will now miss the second leg.
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Max Eberl shares Alphonso Davies frustration after Bukayo Saka bullied him in Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Speaking via BILD, Bayern Munich director Max Eberl admitted that Saka had caused Davies nightmares with his performance.
“Phonzy has had his problems with Saka at the beginning, but other defenders have that too,” he stated.
“In the second half Phonzy was much more stable.”
Bukayo Saka was electric in Arsenal draw with Bayern Munich
Saka’s speed and dribbling ability caused Bayern all sorts of problems, and he should arguably have been given a penalty in the final minute after he thought he had forced a foul from Manuel Neuer.
The 22-year-old now has eight goals and assists in the Champions League this season, level with Phil Foden and just two behind Bayern star and England teammate Harry Kane.
Saka won six duels as well as firing in two shots against the German giants, and registered a 90% pass accuracy as he linked up well with Ben White on the right side.
The former Hale End prodigy has been outstanding in front of goal this season, reaching 30 goals and assists in all competitions for the first time in his career, and his strike against Bayern was the latest in a long list of big games in which he has scored.
It was recently argued that Saka could not yet be labelled as “world-class” as he had not produced against Europe’s top opposition, but his performance against Bayern in the quarter-final showed that he is already up there with the best wingers in the world.