Thierry Henry says £30m Arsenal player changed the game v Bayern Munich

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Arsenal played a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final first-leg encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Gunners were hoping to build on their return to the top of the Premier League table with a good result against the Bundesliga’s second-placed side.

And things began pretty well for Arsenal, who took the lead in the 12th minute thanks to an outstanding curling effort from Bukayo Saka.

However, the visitors went on to equalise not long after as Serge Gnabry struck back in the 18th minute following a Gabriel Magalhaes error in the build-up.

And in the 32nd minute, the Gunners conceded again as William Saliba brought down Leroy Sane for a penalty that Harry Kane converted.

However, Arsenal managed to salvage a draw in the 76th minute as Gabriel Jesus squared for Leandro Trossard to roll into the far corner of the net.

The interval saw Mikel Arteta make a change at left-back, with Jakub Kiwior – who struggled in the game – come off in place of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The £30million man brought some much needed composure on the ball and managed to keep Sane and Kingsley Coman at bay for the most part.

Thierry Henry, speaking on CBS Sports after the game, also noted how Zinchenko helped change the game for Arsenal with regards to the threat posed by Harry Kane.

What did Thierry Henry say about Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko?

The Gunners legend said the Ukraine international’s penchant for coming inside from the left-back position helped against the former Tottenham man.

“First I will start with Harry Kane and how he played tonight,” said Henry.

“There’s something I always say as an assistant or as a coach about what a striker should do away from home and that’s exactly what Harry Kane does to the team and he did it tonight once again.

“As long as Arsenal couldn’t stop him keeping the ball or having a free kick then you cannot sustain that pressure you have in the half of the opponent.

“As soon as they managed to stop him keeping the ball or having a free kick, and Mikel Arteta talked about the subs, what he’s talking about with the subs, is Zinchenko coming from the left back position and coming inside to hold the ball a bit better and they did in the second half.”

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Zinchenko may have his issues when it comes to defending, but he did pretty well against Bayern, and he certainly helps Arsenal play better as a whole.

However, Arteta has some thinking to do for the second leg at the Allianz Arena. Maybe Takehiro Tomiyasu, the strongest left-back defensively, might be the better shout away from home.