Arsenal rescued a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich as Leandro Trossard’s late leveller stopped Harry Kane making a triumphant return to north London in Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
Trossard came off the bench to equalise in the closing stages at the Emirates Stadium after former Tottenham striker Kane put Bayern 2-1 ahead with a first-half penalty.
Fans in the 60,000 sell-out crowd were relieved to be able to focus on a pulsating clash after security was increased at Champions League games this week.
A media outlet supporting the Daesh group published threats against stadiums hosting quarterfinals this week.
Uefa, European football’s governing body, confirmed it was aware of the threats but the ties at the Emirates Stadium and in Madrid — where Real drew with Manchester City — both went ahead as planned.
Arsenal had taken an early lead through Bukayo Saka before former Gunners winger Serge Gnabry put Bayern back on level terms.
Kane scored a north London derby record 14 goals against Arsenal during his time with Tottenham, making him an inevitable target for taunts for Gunners fans.
When Kane bagged his sixth career goal at the Emirates — and his 39th in all competitions in his first season with Bayern — it seemed the England captain would have the last laugh.
But Trossard’s dramatic intervention leaves the tie delicately poised ahead of the second leg in Munich on April 17.
Premier League leaders Arsenal have been in superb form this season, while Bayern are on the brink of surrendering the German title for the first time in 12 years after a brutal domestic campaign.
But, playing in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010, Arsenal looked unusually hesitant at times and will be relieved to have emerged with their hopes of a first European Cup still intact.