Having gone down to Robert Andrich’s opener, Arsenal avoided defeat in their first-leg clash with Bayer in Leverkusen through a late penalty.

Referee Halil Meler from Turkey deemed this contact between substitutes Malik Tillman and Noni Madueke worthy of a spot-kick in the final minutes of the game, and it was converted for Arsenal by former Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz.

The decision sparked plenty of debate, with many among the neutrals believing the referee had got it wrong and questioning why the VAR did not overturn the decision.

Well, the VAR is never going to overturn a referee’s decision to give a penalty when there is contact, and there clearly was. That does not fall into the category of “clear and obvious error”.

However, to say it was a soft one would be an understatement. The contact did nothing to disrupt Madueke who still had full control over the ball in a dangerous situation, but instead of playing on and trying to score or find a teammate, the Arsenal winger chose to bend his legs and go to ground.

This was the challenge that led to Arsenal’s penalty… do you think it was the right call? 🤔@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/5GXcNDu4Gn

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 11, 2026